Nevermind the Darkness
by Kinetically Charmed
Summary: -"When your fears subside you and shadows still remain. I know that you can love me when there's no one left to blame. So nevermind the darkness; we still can find a way. Cause nothing lasts forever; even cold November rain."- GnR -Romy -Old story,revised
1. Chapter One, Prologue

**_A/N: Please note that this story was originally posted waaay back in '05, but I was never quite satisfied with the quality of it. I loved the idea of the story so much that I rushed through it far too quickly, and after re-reading it recently, I decided it was time for a makeover.  
_****_So now, I'm re-writing my first fan fiction! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it! (Oh, and I don't own any of the characters in this story, they all belong to Marvel. Unless they're some arbitrary character who has like 4 lines... then chances are they're just made up. But for safety's sake, let's just give Marvel the credit!)_**

**_NEVERMIND THE DARKNESS_**

_And when your fears subside you, and shadows still remain.  
I know that you can love me, when there's no one left to blame.  
__So nevermind the darkness, we still can find a way.  
__Cause nothing lasts forever, even cold November rain._

Chapter One.

Remy Lebeau sauntered into the library with his hands shoved into his trench coat pockets. He gave a young woman a wink as he passed by her, and instantly noticed the blush that broke out over her cheeks. He'd forgotten why he liked this place to begin with. Could never quite remember the reason he'd shown up on their doorstep, asking in a round-about way for forgiveness and offering up his services to the X-men. But the sight of the young blonde woman blushing at the mere sight of his cocky grin and suave wink reminded him instantly. It was for the ladies of course. No,no... not the ladies; just one. His eyes scanned the study area of the library until he spotted her. She was just where Professor Xavier said she would be, of course; leave it to him to ever doubt a telepath. He stopped, tipping his head as he took her in. She looked different than she had three years earlier. Her hair had grown a bit longer, her outfit was more stylish, and she wore less dark makeup. It was clear to him that she'd outgrown her old Gothic ways. She laughed at something the young lady next to her said, causing her face to light up and he noticed her eyes. Those bright green eyes that shimmered when she laughed were just as vibrant as ever. A smile crept across his lips and he shoved his hands further down in his pockets, slowly swaggering over to them. He came to a stop behind the two girls, resting his hands on the backs of their chairs, and leaned down between them.

"Bonjour chères."

Both girls looked up at him in unison with matching looks of shock on their faces.  
"Gambit?" Rogue finally said, knitting her brow together as she twisted in her seat to distance herself from his hovering face. "What are you doin' here?"

"I thought you were like, gone for good... or dead or something." Kitty added with an arched eyebrow.

"Nah, Gambit jus' had some t'ings dat needed t'be taken care of." He gave Kitty a wink.

"You mean... like... thievery?" Both of Kitty's brows perked up this time and Gambit chuckled.

"P'tite, y'never did beat 'round d'bush, did ya? Nice ring by d'way."

Kitty closed her hand into a fist and dropped it into her lap with a nervous chuckle. "Thanks."

Rogue shook her head, scooting even further away from him "An' what are you doin' here?" She tossed a hand into the air "Ah've never seen you in a library before." She added with a perfect poker face, causing Kitty to snicker.

Gambit gave her a smile "I see y'haven't lost dat Southern charm."

He moved around the table, pulling the chair across from them out and flopping down on it, kicking his feet up on the table and slipping his hands behind his neck.

"Remy needs an English tutor. Only one credit away from graduatin', an d' Professor thinks I need some kind o'commitment t'guarantee stickin' around."

"Sorry Gambit, I'm not a tutor. Maybe ask like, Scott or somethin'." Kitty shrugged.

"Or Jean. Ah'm sure you'd enjoy that..." Rogue looked over at Kitty with a smile.

Kitty chuckled with a snort "Oh yeah, I'm sure Scott would enjoy that."

"No no, chère. Not you, Rogue."

Rogue shook her head resolutely. "Nu uh. Ah have mah own problems with school. Y'can't just waltz in here an' assume ah'll-"

"Ain' assumin' chère. Xavier said y'would."

Rogue stared at him, her shoulders stiffening as she leaned forward. "No. He wouldn't..." she trailed off, slamming her pencil down and storming out of the library.

Remy looked at Kitty who simply pressed her lips into a thin line. He stood up and hurried after her, catching up just as she slammed through Professor Xavier's office door.

"Professor!" She ground out.

"Ah Rogue. I've been expecting you." He calmly smiled and rested his his fists on his desk.

"What's this about you volunteerin' me t'tutor?!" She demanded as she clenched her hands into fists and held them firmly against her sides.

"It has recently been brought to my attention that you are at the top of your class in English. So when a former member of the X-men comes, asking for assistance, wishing to re-join, I simply assumed you would be more than willing to assist." He tented his fingers as he spoke.

"Is this punishment for somethin'?" She took a step forward. "Ah'll do anything... anything else. Ah swear. Bathroom duty for a month... just please Professor..."

He let out a deep breath, offering her a soft smile. "Rogue, this is not punishment."

"Professor, ah can't-"

"Yes, you can Rogue. You're ready."

Gambit stared at her while she studied the Professors face. She sure knew how to make a guy feel welcome. If it was this hard for her to be around him, he'd just find someone else. Or better yet, find some place else. He was about to voice his thoughts when Rogue bit her lip and nodded silently.

She spun around on her heel and passed Gambit, leaving the office quickly as she headed back down the hall.

He turned around and followed, a few paces behind her. "Wait... is dat a yes?"

"Yes, it's a yes." She came to an abrupt stop and Remy almost bumped into her. "But no funny business. An' if y'waste mah time Cajun, so help me... you'll wish you'd never been born. Y'got that?" She jabbed her finger into his chest as she spoke and Remy smiled.

"Aye aye captain." He saluted. She rolled her eyes and turned around, continuing down the hall. "When's our first rendezvous?"

"Tomorrow. In the library when ah'm finished classes. An' don't call it that."

"Tête-à-tête? Dat better?" He called out after her and she shot him a scowl from over her shoulder.

"Just be there. An' don't be late."

_

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_


	2. Chapter Two

**_A/N: One chapter was not nearly enough to keep all of you loverly Romy fans interested! Here, have another. ;)_**

* * *

Chapter Two

Rogue clutched her books to her chest as she walked, taking in the beautiful spring day. She closed her eyes and sucked in a lungful of the sweet scent of fresh grass that had been finally exposed from the snow from the ever-increasing heat of the sun. The birds were chirping joyfully while they went about making their new nests after a winter away. The birds were smart creatures; flying away when it got too cold to bear. She could only wish of such a life. A shiver raced up her spine as she recalled how much she hated the winter. Thankfully, it looked like everything was downhill from here. The last over night frost had been over two weeks ago, and people had started planting their flowers, hoping for the best. Including Ororo Monroe.

Rogue smiled as she passed the ivory haired woman, kneeling in the garden with her sun hat on.

"Afternoon 'Ro."

Storm looked up and grinned. "Good afternoon Rogue, how was class today?" she pulled a gardening glove off her slender hand and wiped away the perspiration from her forehead.

"Ah you know how it is... it's college. The only difference from high school is that we pay them t'bore the crap outta us."

Storm laughed lightly, pulling her glove back on with a nod. "I suppose that's one way of looking at it."

"So y'goin' with tulips this year?" Rogue glanced over Storms shoulder at the flowers she'd already planted in the ground. "They're lookin' good." she winked.

Storm chuckled and thanked her before Rogue turned to head up the stone steps of the mansion.

Rogue hugged her books closer to her chest as she walked through the halls. It was still too early for any of the younger mutants to be back from high school, but it was a self conscious twitch of hers to make her body as small as possible. Just in case.

She trudged up the stairs and made her way to the library, stopping in the doorway. She looked up at the clock on the wall, letting her eyes fall back down to the study area where he sat. She nearly dropped her books at the sight of him. He was early.

"Y'said not t'be late." He called to her, lazily slinging his arm over the back of his chair with a smirk.

Rogue regained her composure and stepped towards him. "This is a library Cajun, you shouldn't shout."

"Relax chère. It's empty. We d'only ones here." He twisted in his chair to sit with his legs under the table. "So no funny business, hein?"

She cracked a smile in spite of herself, dropping her school books on the table with a thud. She pulled the chair next to him out and sat down.

Remy peered at the books curiously, his eyes flicking over to her momentarily. "All a'dem fo' me?"

Rogue chuckled "No, they're mah school books. 'All a'them.' Ah see why you need tutorin'."

"Tutorin'. I see why Xavier suggested you."

"Alright." She lifted a hand and nodded in surrender. "Let's get started. What are y'workin' on right now?"

"Poetry. Different kind a'poems... some shit like dat."

Rogue stood up and grabbed a book off of one of the many shelves, handing it to him when she returned. "Let's start with this."

"Shakespeare."

"Ah, oui oui monsieur." She sat down again, noticing Remy's almost disgusted look.

"Jus' stick to d'English lessons chère. Leave d'French t'moi."

"Yeah, yeah, just open up the damn book." She opened it for him, flipping a few pages and pointing out where she wanted him to start. After reading a few sonnets Rogue bit her lip and stared at the page.

"Gambit not doin' it right chère?"

"No, no." She scratched the tip of her nose and let out a deep breath. "Y'doin fine. It's just... when y'readin' Shakespeare, y'gotta read it... fluidly. Other wise it sounds choppy, an' kind of awkward."

She thought for a minute. "Can you translate this t'French?"

He shrugged as he considered it "Oui, but not directly. A lot of it'd get lost in translation."

Rogue pursed her lips in thought again "Think of it like a heart beat." She tapped her gloved hand on her chest to simulate a heart beating as she read a section of the poem out loud. "Now you try."

Remy reached his hand out towards her chest with a sly smile.

"C'mon Gambit." She smacked his hand away and rolled her eyes, and he obediently read the same section using Rogue's method.

"Good!" She smiled, giving him a nod of approval. "That was really good."

"Y'think?"

"Ah do." She plopped her pencil down. "Why don't we call it a day."

Remy closed his book while Rogue gathered hers up into her arms. "Ah gotta admit Gambit," She started, standing up once she had all of her books. "Y'better than ah thought you'd be."

Remy stood up next to her and shrugged. "I just said I need d'class t'graduate, didn' say anything 'bout needin' a tutor. Dat was all Xavier."

Rogue nodded silently as they headed for the exit.

"If I knew it would've been so difficult t'convince y'to work with me chère, I'da just made him get someone else." he added, giving her a quick sidelong glance to see her reaction.

She simply sighed and shook her head. "It ain't about you Gambit. Ah just... had a bad experience 'bout a year an' a bit ago. This is his way of tellin' me he thinks ah'm ready t'move on."

He tipped his head to look at her. "Care t'share?"

She shook her head before the words were even fully out of his mouth. "Not really. Maybe if y'stick around long enough you'll find out."

"Y'sound bitter dat Gambit left chère." He smiled.

"Ah don't take kindly t'quitters."

He shook his head. "Told y'dere were-"

"Some things y'needed t'take care of. Ah know. And ah'm sayin' it's an excuse. You stick around this time, maybe you'll prove me wrong."

He gave her a smile, stepping in front of her and stopping, causing her to bump into him. He dipped his head to look her in the eye, his smile growing.

"Can I tell y'somethin' chère? Without you gettin' all... defensive or weird or anythin'?

Rogue raised an eyebrow skeptically. "That's not exactly a great way t'start..."

He stared at her with the same smile on his face until she nodded and rolled her eyes.

"Y'look good. Not dat y'didn't before with dat whole 'dark an' disturbed' look y'had, but-"

She laughed and looked away.

"Y'look... happy. It becomes you chère."

She squared her jaw, still looking away. "Thank you." She said flatly, trying to keep the blush that was trying to creep onto her cheeks at bay. "Are y'finished?"

His smile dropped to a smirk and he nodded, stepping back to her side. "M'finished."

"Good." She clutched her books tighter, lifting her chin indignantly. "Y'creep me out when y'start gushin' on like that. An' ah'll have you know, ah am still 'dark an' disturbed'."

Remy chuckled, digging his hands into his jean pockets. "Don' look it t'me."

"Well, it's not like ah've gone over to the dark side, so t'speak. Ah'm not wearin' pink frills, an' co-ordinatin' outfits with mah girlfriends. Gettin' manicures an' facials on the weekends."

"Never said dat."

"Y'sure make it sound like that."

"Wasn' my intention." He gave her a wink, "Besides, I notice y'still got d'smokey eye makeup. Jus' looks more sexy den 'dark an' disturbed.' You tryin' t'look sexy now Rogue?"

She grit her teeth, unable to keep the blush back anymore. "Go... suck a lemon!" she spat with a frustrated huff before stomping off. She mentally kicked herself for letting that damn Cajun get a rise out of her.

But he'd said she looked happy. Which was good, and nice of him to say. And he'd also said she looked sexy. Which was also good. She blushed again and cursed out loud.


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

She'd been helping him for a week and a half now, and he couldn't help but notice how she'd stick strictly to the books. No small talk, no banter, nothing. He was usually fairly good at reading people, especially women, but there was something in her expression that he couldn't quite figure out. On the one hand, he could assume he'd struck a cord with his "innocent" flirting, and that telling her she looked sexy -which was far from a lie- had shaken her up. She had stomped off with that pouty frown on her face, after all, giving him a nice view of her backside in the process. But on the other hand, she had never really let it be known that he got under her skin. She'd offer him a friendly smile when they met for their tutoring sessions, and pull out the books as if nothing had happened. And if he tried to start up some playful banter, she'd simply offer him an patronizing grin that frankly made him feel like he'd just said the stupidest thing ever, and continue on with what she was saying. He reminded himself never to play poker with her.

"Gambit?"

He blinked at her blankly before a smooth grin played on his lips. "Chère?"

She let out a frustrated breath and shook her head as a frown wrinkled across her forehead. "You're not even payin' attention!"

"Ah Rogue, yo'too distractin'."

Rogue gave him a firm look. "Don't you pull that crap on me now. You got a test tomorrow Cajun, an' if you wanna pass it, ah suggest you snap out of it an' pay attention."

"Chère y'doin such a great job teachin' me, not sure how Remy could fail."

"Well f'starters Gambit... y'keep referrin' to y'self in the third person." She set her pen down and looked at him.

He smirked. "Remy try t'remember not t'do that on d'test." She rolled her eyes and looked back at the book.

"D'only reason why m'doin' it chère, is t'remind y'what my name is. Y'seem t'think it's Gambit." He set his elbow on the table and plopped his chin against his fist, giving her a toothy grin.

"It _is_ Gambit." Her eyes scanned the page thoughtfully, causing Remy to chuckle. Maybe she wasn't so hard to read after all.

"Y'ain't readin' d'page chère, so y'might as well quit pretendin'." He snatched the book away from her and closed it.

She scoffed and looked at him "Ah _was_ readin' that, an' we aren't finished yet."

"I'm tired." He shrugged, keeping his chin propped up by his fist. "Talk t'me chère."

She shot out a breath and looked at him. "Do ah need t'start referrin' to mahself in third person t'remind you what mah name is? Y'seem t'think it's _chère_."

Remy laughed. "Ahh but _Rogue_, d'difference is dat _chère _is a term of endearment. Gambit jus' be Remy's 'code' name, or what-have-you."

"Ah think it's a little soon in our pseudo friendship for pet names, don't you?"

"Pseudo?"

"It means when somethin' appears t'be one thing, but it really-"

"I know what it means." He deadpanned. "Jus' wonderin' why y'd think our... _relationship_..." He leaned in close to her with a grin. "Would be considered pseudo?"

She smirked. "So now we've moved on to relationship? Wow Gambit, ah didn't peg you for the relationship type." Rogue flahsed him that damn pretentious smile that she'd become so good at, not at all bothered by his closeness as he'd intended.

He was the first one to break, pulling away from her and returning fist under his chin with a relaxed grin. That self satisfied look she made wasn't lost on him either. His grin grew "So den _Rogue_, you quit callin' me Gambit all d'time, an I quit callin' you chère all d'time."  
Rogue puckered her lips and narrowed her eyes, stroking her chin thoughtfully before giving him a smirk. "Deal." She shot her gloved hand out, and he gave it one firm shake.

"Deal." He grinned. She smiled warmly at him, probably for the first time since he'd been back. For sure the first time since she'd started using that patronizing one a week and a half ago. He couldn't help but notice how her green eyes almost twinkled when she smiled sincerely.

Almost as soon as the thought popped up in his head, her smile grew stale and she wrenched her hand away from him. Apparently, he'd forgotten to let go.

"So tell me, _Rogue_," He smirked, emphasising the use of her name. "What've you been doin' dese past few years? Stayin' outta trouble?"

She had turned her attention back to one of the texts in front of her, but she let out a laugh and tipped her head to look at him "Think ah should be askin' you that, Cajun."

He rolled his eyes comically and scoffed "Y'go from Gambit t'Cajun."

She pressed her lips together tightly to suppress a laugh.

"Dat's kinda cheatin' don't y'think?"

"Not at all Cajun. Ah only promised t'stop callin' you Gambit all the time, not t'call y'by your real name."

He narrowed his eyes at her while she pretended to busy herself. "Dere a reason why y'don' like callin' me by my real name?"

She shrugged "Maybe ah just don't like it."

"Don' like it, hein? What's not t'like?"

"Sounds kinda..." She waved a hand in the air as she searched for an appropriate word. "Pansy."

She laughed maliciously at the expression on his face which could only be described as appalled. "Relax _Remy_, ah'm kiddin'..."

Remy's brow pinched and he looked away. "Non chère... d'damage is done. Dat hurt."

"Awww..." She stuck out her lower lip and gave him her best attempt at puppy dog eyes. There was that twinkle again...

"Did chère hurt Gambits feewings?" She asked in a baby voice. He had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from laughing at the very idea of Rogue using a baby voice. Wait a second... was she flirting?

"Oui."

"I'm sowwy..."

"Non. Y'cut me deep Rogue." Outwardly, he was pained, but inwardly, he was quite enjoying the way her lips looked when she pouted like that. "D'only thing dat would make me feel better now..." His distressed frown morphed into a devious grin. "Would be if y'kissed it all better..."

She snorted. "The only reason that'd make y'feel better is cause you'd be knocked out cold."

He shrugged. "Sounds fine t'me."

"Get goin' y'dumbass. An' y'better not fail your test, or ah'll knock you out cold the old fashioned way." Rogue laughed and punched him in the arm. He winced when the punch made contact, noticing instantly the sting it left.

This, of course, only made her laugh even more.

--

Gambit lay in his bed the next morning, staring at the ceiling as he waited for the dreadful buzzing of his alarm clock to pierce the calm quiet in his bedroom. He'd passed the test, of course, but he'd yet to tell Rogue. A grin played on his lips and he tucked arms under his head as he envisioned how she would take such good news from him; throwing her arms around his neck with a playful little squeal... he'd of course hug her back, as this was the polite thing to do. His hands might wander down her slender waist, over the curve of her hip, rounding their way around to her-

The shrill buzzing of his alarm clock snapped him out of his insane daydream. He cursed in French for being so lazy that he hadn't just shut it off when he woke up. But, on the other hand, this particular Saturday morning was certainly one he'd want to be awake for. Professor Xavier had invited him to sit in on the teams weekly training session, and while his first instinct had been to gratefully decline such an offer to wake up at an ungodly hour on a Saturday morning, he realized Rogue would be there. And so he accepted. That Rogue... there was something about her. She was beautiful and smart, quick witted to the point that she kept him on his toes. He found himself looking forward to the time they spent together, even though it was mostly filled with monotonous English homework and him feeling like an idiot for even trying to hit on her. In short, he was drawn to her like a fly to honey. Or, for a more fitting comparison, like a thief to the Crown Jewels. Of course, stealing the Crown Jewels would be pointless really. What would you do with them once you had them... walk into a pawn shop and try to barter a deal? No, one of the first things he learned as a thief was to stay away from high profile jobs unless there was a buyer. Vincenzo Peruggia might have been dubbed the greatest art thief of the 20th century, but the man got caught. Ahhh... but like Peruggia, Remy knew it was all about the chase. What that man must have felt as he plucked the Mona Lisa off the wall. The rush of adrenalin he must have felt coursing through his veins as he rolled her up and tucked her under his arm, walking right out the front door of the Louvre as if it was just another days work.

What was he thinking about again?

Oh right, Rogue. That girl was his Mona Lisa. And the difference between he and ol' Vincenzo, was that Remy was a true appreciator of art; He knew how to treat a beautiful piece of art once it was in his posession.

The alarm buzzing pierced through his thoughts once again, and he realized he'd merely hit snooze the last time. He slowly dragged himself out of bed and threw on a pair of beaten up jeans and a black t-shirt, smiling to himself as he compared the infamous mysterious smile of the Mona Lisa, to that of Rogue's. He was so intrigued by her... and all the mystery she held behind that little smirk, he just wanted to roll her up and steal her, all for himself.

* * *

**_A/N: We all love Romy banter, don't we? :) Thanks for the reviews! Now the preassure is really on to impress you all... (I'm hoping I won't let you down RogueNya... lol) I apologize for the short chapters, I just find it so much easier to read a story when the chapters aren't so damn long. I make up for it by adding quickly though! Anyways, I hope you all like it, I hope it flows well enough... and before the next chapter is even posted, I'm going to apologize in advance. I really suck at writing danger room sequences. So... I'm truly sorry. :)_**


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four.

Rogue widened her stance as she waited for the start of the simulation. She always hated the few seconds before the Danger Room sprang into action; unsure of what to expect once it did.

She tried to distract her mind from the thought of it, going over the little details Professor Xavier had given them a few minutes earlier. He'd said something about how they were to do team building exercise, and that they were only as strong as their weakest member. She frowned as she realized she'd hardly been paying any attention. The maze blinked into view, signaling the start of the mission.

Rogue leaned over to Kitty, whom she was paired up with and bit her lip. "What are we doin' again?"

"Geeze Rogue," Kitty rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Weren't you, like, paying any attention?"

"Obviously ah wasn't." The two of them slowly made their way forward to the first corner, peering around cautiously. When they were satisfied the coast was clear, they continued.

"Everyone has to make it through the maze successfully from their respective starting points. We meet in the center room, the finish line, because we are only as strong as our weakest member."

There was that line. Rogue nodded. "An' ah assume it ain't just a maze."

"Would it be a Saturday morning if it were just a maze?" Kitty raised an eyebrow with the rhetorical question and shrugged. "I'm sure there are going to be trap rooms and bad guys with weapons, pools of water filled with barracuda and sharks with laser beams attached to their heads..."

"The usual." Rogue smirked, and Kitty winked.

"The usual." She agreed. "And totally realistic too, right? I mean, how many times have I been wandering through a maze, only to come across a wall that shoots flaming arrows when I try to pass. And I think to myself 'Man, I wish I'd prepared for this.'"

Rogue laughed. "At least once a week."

"At least!" Kitty threw a hand in the air as she spoke to emphasize the sarcasm in her tone. "I totally hit the jackpot getting paired up with the one person in the room who totally like, spaced out on the entire scenario briefing too. I'm blaming you if I die."

Rogue grinned. "Ah love you too Kit."

"I mean, we both know you'll totally be depending on me the entire time anyways..." Kitty continued shooting Rogue sidelong glance. "You always end up the helpless damsel in distress."

Rogue snorted at the sarcastic comment and rolled her eyes. "Let's just get this over with already. Ah got a busy day ahead a'me."

"You wouldn't happen to be spending it with _Gambit_, would you?" Kitty batted her eyelashes dramatically and sighed. "Oh Remy... y'so unbearably hot..."

"That's enough Kit..."

"Ah don't even care that you ain't even bad at English an' you're just wastin' mah time to spend an hour an' a half of your day mentally jumpin' mah bones in the library-"

"Kitty!" Rogue swatted the petite mutant to shut her up.

Kitty giggled and fell in step a stride behind Rogue. "Hit a nerve?"

"Ah'm gunna hit more than a nerve in a minute if y'don't shut the hell up." She grumbled. The two girls walked in silence, diligently picking their way through the halls, through the minor obstacles they came up against.

Sometimes Kitty could be so damn annoying. Rogue remained a step ahead of her so she wasn't able to see the annoyance written all over her face. The only reason why she was even helping Remy out with his English was because Professor Xavier had requested it of her. It's not like she wanted to. It's not like she enjoyed spending her time in the library with him. It was about the work, nothing else. Nothing more. Right? If this was three years ago, then _maybe_ she would have enjoyed spending some time with her pal Gambit. That is, until he took off without an explination, disappearing like a thief in the night; pun absolutley intended.

Sure, she'd always thought he was pretty easy on the eyes, but she never thought of him _that_ way before, and she was certain he hadn't thought of her like that either. Until now at least. Seriously though, who gave a crap what went through his disturbed mind while she was helping him recite a Shakespearian sonnet? Or helping him learn to speak in first person?

So why did the very thought of him 'mentally jumping her bones' as Kitty so eloquently put it, cause her to blush so deeply? Probably because it was she who was doing the 'mental jumping'. Her cheeks flushed again and she bit her lip to try to keep herself focused.

Before she could form an excuse in her head, Kitty squealed. Rogue spun around in time to watch her friend phase through an opponent that had popped up out of nowhere and grabbed her around the neck.

"Freeze!" Another opponent appeared at the end of the hall, aiming his rifle at Rogue, cocking the gun when she refused to raise her hands.

Rogue grumbled. "Here we go..."

---

"Remy, I'm glad you could join us this morning." Xavier said momentarily turning to greet him before turning back to watch his X-men with Hank. He quickly explained the simulation to Gambit, who'd apologized for showing up so late.

"Not a problem at all." Hank grinned. "It takes everyone a bit to get used to waking up early."

Remy grunted and nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets as he watched through the observation window. He couldn't help but think the X- men reminded him of a bunch of little lab rats running around a maze. Professor Xavier began to speak again, telling him something about how the maze was constructed, but he'd stopped paying attention the moment he spotted her on the monitor. She had a sour pout on her face, and Remy wondered if she knew how cute she looked when she pouted. Not likely. He furrowed his brow as he watched the screen, noticing how she kept her distance from Kitty. They must have had a fight.

"Alright, it seems that things are moving smoothly." Henry tapped on the keyboard "Let's kick it up a notch." Remy watched as computer generated opponents materialized throughout the maze, a fighting frenzy breaking out almost instantly. His eyes found Rogue again, watching as the 'man' drew his weapon on her, causing her to freeze. He cocked his gun and in the blink of an eye Rogue made a headlong leap towards the man, extending her hands out as she sped towards him through the air before he could even get a shot off. She grabbed the barrel of his gun and pointed it upwards as she landed, ripping the gun out of his hands and snapping it like a twig. She then grabbed the man by the scruff of his collar, and threw him against the wall, causing him to drop to the ground in a heap. Pieces of drywall crumbled onto his unconscious head. Remy's jaw dropped.

"She hadn't told you yet?" Professor X said, obviously reading Gambits screaming thoughts of confusion and amazement. "Our Rogue has acquired some new abilities."

"How?" Gambit asked eventually, shaking his head.

"That is for her to tell. Not me."

Remy wrung his hands anxiously to distract his twitching fingers from the need to fiddle with something. A cigarette, a card, a pen... anything. Suddenly, the big news that he'd passed his test with flying colors didn't seem like such big news anymore. When the program was finished the doors opened and everyone made their way back into the room to debrief. Rogue slipped in over all of their heads and zipped around the room.

"Ah really think Ah'm startin' t'get the hang a'this whole flyin' thing!" She smiled, gently landing beside Kitty.

"Show off." Kurt rolled his eyes and took a playful punch to the arm. Playful, but very painful. Her eyes stopped on Gambit and she immediately turned deep red.  
He realized from her reaction that he'd been staring, but how could he not?! She looked away quickly, listening to the debriefing almost too intently. He was just itching to ask her about it; just one more piece of the ever existent puzzle as to why his Mona Lisa was smiling. But to his disappointment, Professor Xavier had asked her and Logan to stay after once everyone had been dismissed.

Remy waited outside the closed doors for Rogue. Whatever the Professor and Logan had to talk to her about, it only took a few minuets and when she came out she was grinning from ear to ear.

"Happy chère?"

Rogue's smile widened slightly and she shrugged "Ah guess." Her green eyes danced.

Gambit shuffled a deck of cards as she scurried past him. "Where y'headed?" He asked, quickly falling in step beside her. He didn't want to seem to eager to find out; the last thing he wanted was to look too eager. So he opted instead for the casual approach.

"Oh. Ah have this thing ah do on Saturdays. Supposed t'help me learn t'control mah powers." She said, waving her hand loosely in the air.

"Mind if I tag 'long?"

Rogue looked at him through narrowed eyes, her brow pinched lightly and she smirked "You… wanna come?"

"Sure. Remy'd love t'see what makes his chère tick..."

She put her hands on her hips defensively and raised an eyebrow. "An' since when am ah _your_ chère?"

"Jus' say d'words Roguey."

She smirked and rolled her eyes at his playful banter. "Alright. Ah just have t'go change."

"Need some help?"

She ignored him. "Ah'll meet you at the door in five minutes."

True to her word, Rogue bounced down the stairs five minutes later, her long hair pulled back into some type of messy bun with her white bangs framing her beautiful face. The deep green sweater she wore clung to her curves perfectly, dipping down just low enough to show off the slightest bit of cleavage.

"Y'ready?" She asked as she passed by him, pulling on her black gloves. He followed her outside, unable to keep up with her rushed pace until she stopped at a bright green car.

"Dis yours?"

Rogue nodded silently, unlocking the car with the remote and yanking the door open. "It was a birthday present from Logan."

Remy's eyebrow perked up and he watched her get in. "Dat man sure treats his favorites well..." He muttered, climbing into the passenger side.

Rogue buckled up and started the car, glancing over at him "You might want t'buckle up Cajun." She said with a smile as she slammed the car into reverse and jammed the gas, spinning the car around in a quick maneuver. "He taught me how t'drive too."

Gambit quickly grabbed for his seatbelt, struggling to fasten it as he prayed quietly in French.

Rogue adjusted her grip on the steering wheel with a smile. "Hang on t'somethin'."

* * *

**_A/N: Ahh yes, the dreaded D.R. scene. Probably not as bad as you'd all thought... but still pretty bad. :P Anyways, I appreciate the reviews, I'm very glad you're all liking the story so far. This chapter is kind of shorter than I wanted it to be, but it was either a little to short, or EPICLY LONG. So I opted for short and broke it into two chapters. I hope it all makes sense and everything... let me know what y'all think! :)_**

**_Oh, and the next chapter... is full of ROMY GOODNESS. YUMMM!_**

**_~KC_**


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five.

"You alright Cajun?"

"Thought y'were gunna start callin' me by m'real name Roguey." He forced a grin, his complexion looking a pale shade of green as he stepped out of the car.

Rogue smiled at the achievement of throwing the cocky Cajun off his game. And also at how his face sort of matched the colour of her car.

"You need t'take a minute to calm your stomach before we go in?" She placed a gloved hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow. She didn't smile, but it was certainly evident in her voice that she was extremely amused. There was no way she could hide it.

He offered her a sarcastic laugh, but silently took her up on the offer. He leaned against the car door and Rogue couldn't help but notice how he was swallowing a lot more often than any normal person would. Her grin returned as she mentally celebrated her small victory, watching him rub the back of his neck uneasily.

"So where are we?" He asked eventually, walking past her, towards the building he'd assumed was their destination.

"Wait!" Rogue's eyes widened and he froze with his hand on the doorknob. He looked back at her from over his shoulder as she caught up to him, catching the expectant look on his face.

How could she put this delicately...?

"Umm... Remy..."

He grinned. "Yes, fleur?"

"You wouldn't happen t'have your sunglasses with ya... would you?"

His brow furrowed and he dug them out of his left coat pocket. "Y'want me t'wear dem...?"

"Could you?" She offered him her best apologetic smile and shrugged. "If you don't mind."

"Dese people not know yo' a mutant chère?"

"No no, nothing like that." Rogue moved past him and pushed his hand away from the doorknob as she thrust the door open. "Ah just didn't want t'scare the kids."

"Kids?" Remy's brow perked up, taking one step into the building after Rogue; his eyes scanned the colourful walls and cluttered foyer.

"C'mon." Rogue grabbed his hand and tugged him along with her. "They'll sure get a kick outta you..."

"What kids chère?"

She pushed through another door and they were met with an instant wave of noise.

There were kids everywhere. Running around, playing, squealing, crying, laughing… practically bouncing off the walls. She smiled at the look on his face, internally claiming another victory. Now he was speechless. Rogue two, Remy _zero_. So far at least... it was probably better if she didn't keep track. She squeezed his hand that she suddenly realized she'd been holding far too long, letting go when he looked down to her.

"This is 'Happy Times Daycare'." She leaned in a bit to make it easier for him to hear her. "Every child here is a child of a mutant. Xavier certainly does have his connections."

Before she could gage his reaction, three little girls raced over to her and clung onto her legs, nearly knocking her off balance. They squealed her name in delight and she knelt down to give them all a careful hug. This caught the attention of everyone, including the teacher who had been busy calming down a very distraught little boy. And while the noise didn't stop completely, it was suddenly silent enough for Rogue to speak up.  
"Everyone," Rogue started, standing up "This is a friend of mine. His name is Remy." The children welcomed Remy in unison before the teacher came over to welcome him.

"I'm Chrystal. It's very nice to finally meet you Remy. I've heard so much about you." She smiled warmly, shaking his hand.  
He smirked and glanced over to Rogue from behind his shades "Good things I hope?"

Chrystal laughed lightly. "Oh you have no idea..."  
Rogue rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to respond, only to be tugged away by the little girls who begged her to read to them.

She flopped down on a bean bag chair, and took a thin book that was handed to her forcefully by a little boy with red hair.  
A little boy came over and tugged on Remy's coat. "My name's Franklin. How come you're wearing your sunglasses inside?"  
He knelt down to the little boys' level and furrowed his brow "Y'sure y'wanna know p'teit?" The little boy nodded and smiled excitedly.

"Y'promise y'won't get scared?"

The little boys eyes twinkled now, as if he was being let in on the secret of a lifetime. Remy pulled his sunglasses down so they rested on his nose, revealing his unique, glowing eyes to him. The little boy gasped, his eyes wide open "Wow!" he breathed. "What's your special thing? My Daddy is stretchy! What do you have?"  
Gambit pulled out his deck of cards "Dis is what I have..."

He shuffled the cards quickly with all the showmanship of a pro before spreading them out face down with one hand. "Pick a card."

The little boy pulled a card out and looked at it, listening to Remy's instructions to remember it and put it back. He shuffled the deck again, pulling the card off the top of the deck with a grin.

"Is dis yo'card?"

The little boy shook his head.

Remy narrowed his eyes comically and pulled a second card. "Dis one?"

The little boy smirked and shook his head again.

"What about dis one?" He pulled a third card and the little boy giggled.

"No."

"Hmmm..." Remy rubbed his chin dramatically. "Hey... what's dat under yo'shoe...?"

The little boys eyes widened and he lifted his foot, revealing the two of hearts. He gasped and looked back up at Gambit with a rejuvenated look of excitement.

"Do it again!!!"

Remy grinned, and proceeded to explain his 'powers' again to the growing crowd of children. Rogue smiled as she watched Gambit pull a card out from behind a little girls ear. The little girl squealed with delight, clapping her hands and jumping in place. He was in his element; entertaining a captivated audience.  
After an hour and a half Rogue stood up and stretched her legs. "Well kids, sorry t'interrupt, but our time here is up." She nodded as they all voiced their disappointment. "Ah know… ah know. Ah'm sorry t'be stealin' away your new friend... maybe he'll come back an' visit sometime."  
Gambit stood up and mussed the little boys' hair "Course I will."

He looked up at Rogue with a grimace. "But from now on, y'let Remy drive, hein?

--

Rogue led the way back to her car, trying to ignore the hesitation in Remy's step as they neared the car door.

"Oh relax, _buttercup_. Ah'm a good driver... ah just drive fast."

"Sorry chère..." He grinned, watching as she moved around the front of the vehicle to the drivers side. "Guess it takes a lot fo'Remy t'trust une femme."

"You were really great in there Remy." She stopped at her door and gave him a smile."Ah'll admit, ah'm impressed."

"Hmm." He rubbed the scruff on his chin and looked away.

"_Hmm_ what?"

"Just always wondered what it'd take to impress you."

She chuckled. "Ah guess we're learnin' a lot about each other today." She pulled the door open and slid into the drivers seat.

As she reached over to close the door, his hand grabbed it, holding it open. He leaned down in the doorway, looking down at her with a smile.

"Chère, why don't we go for a walk?"

"A walk?" her brow pinched together as she stared up at him suspiciously. "Why?"

"It's a nice day, non?" He smiled, "An' we parked right across from a belle lookin' park... just thought it'd be nice t'take a walk."

Rogue let out a breath. He was right, it was a gorgeous day outside, and the were right across the road from Rogue's favorite park in the city.

"Fine." She grumbled, ignoring the hand he offered to help her up as she moved past him. He closed the car door and met her at the street, grabbing her hand and pulling her across with him quickly before she could protest. Once they reached the other side, Rogue tugged her hand back, crossing her arms tightly. Remy was sure he was about to get a verbal lashing from her, until he glanced in her direction. She'd closed her eyes and tipped her head up towards the sun with a smile.

"It really is a nice day." She said softly "Ah've missed the sun. Damn winter takes too long t'go away."

"Y'preachin' to d'choir chère."

Rogue laughed as she looked at him and gave her head a shake. "Listen to us southerners whine."

He smiled back as they began to walk in silence, taking in all the sights and smells that came with spring.

"So if y'don't mind Remy askin' chère, how'd y'wind up wit' dem extra powers?"

"Hah!" She pointed at him and narrowed her eyes. "Ah _knew _it was comin'! Y'couldn't even wait five minutes before y'got me alone t'ask."

He smirked, keeping his eyes fixed ahead of him. "So y'gunna tell?"

She let out a deep breath and frowned. "Why'd you leave?"

He looked at her this time, the smirk on his face unwaivering. "Already told y'dat."

"No Remy, a broad answer like the one you always give, ain't an answer." She hugged herself tighter, feeling the chill in the air, a reminder that a month ago it was practically the dead of winter. "Ah just think it's only fair... if you get t'learn so much about me... that ah get somethin' in return."

His smirk grew. "I can give y'somethin' much better... in return..."

She rolled her eyes at his implication and turned her attention back to the path in front of her. "If y'don't wanna tell me Cajun, that's fine, but don't expect me t'just-"

"I was gettin' married."

Rogue paused and looked at him with a frown. "Y'don't have t'make things up Remy. Ah was only-"

"Ain't makin' it up." He smiled. "Y'wanted t'know... so I told you."

She gaped at him and shook her head slowly "No shit?"

"Non." He chuckled, pulling his trench coat off and placing it on her frame. "Not at all."

"So... what happened then? Why are y'back?"

He rubbed the back of his neck and frowned. "It's... a long story chère. I left t'get married, but I never did. Thankfully."

"Thankfully?"

He took a few steps in silence before nodding. "It was an arranged marriage."

"I didn't even realize that was still legal."

He smiled. "Unfortunately, it is. But polygamy ain't... go figure dat one out, hmm?"

She chuckled and hugged the trench coat closer to her body, thankful he'd given it to her without even asking.

Rogue let out a heavy breath and lifted her chin. "It was just over a year an' a half ago now." She started, noticing Remy's eyes on her through the corner of her vision. "Professor X had me tutorin' this new girl. Ah'd stopped bein' so... dark an' disturbed, as you put it." She glanced over to him with a smirk which brought a smile to his face. She looked away quickly and sucked in another breath. "Ah started to focus on what ah _can _do instead of what ah _can't_, an' Professor thought ah'd be a good help to her. Her name was Carol Danvers. Pretty girl... blonde hair, blue eyes, a smile that could make the boys stutter, an' a body that made em' stare." She let out a single laugh, and cringed at how bitter it sounded. "One night after school, ah was helpin' her out with some homework. She looks at me an' starts gushin' about how sorry she is an' how she just couldn't take it anymore. Ah tried askin' her what she was talkin' about, when she just... lunges at me. She pinned me to the floor an' told me she'd rather die than live as a freak." Rogue paused again, taking in a slow breath in an attempt to calm her emotions. "She touched mah skin..." Her hand instinctively went to the covered up place on her neck that had been the point of contact. "She wouldn't let go. By the time she was weak enough for me t'shove her off... it was too late." Her chin dropped to her chest and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from crying.

"She died?"

Rogue shook her head "Her body may be dead, but she's livin'... in mah head." Her voice dropped off and she forced herself to keep composed. "That's why Professor gets me t'volunteer at the daycare. It helps me stay in touch with mahself. Doin' somethin' for me."

Remy nodded "Dat's why y'didn't wanna tutor Remy."

Rogue nodded silently, pulling the trench coat tightly around her frame as if it were a pair of arms comforting her.

"Hope y'didn't take it personally."

"Sure y'do." He smirked, giving her a playful nudge.

She laughed and lifted her head to look at him, offering him a shrug. "Ah suppose y'right. Ah hope you cried yo'self t'sleep that night."

Remy's face grew serious again and he shoved his hands in his pockets. "You angry at her?"

"A little." Rogue answered honestly. "Ah mean... she was hardly a freak. Super strength an' flight? Not to mention the fact that the girl looked like she belonged on the cover of Vogue. An' look at me... ah can't touch anyone without knockin' em unconscious." Rogue shot out a breath, giving her head a resigned shake. "Ah just don't know where she got off thinkin' she was so worse off than everybody else."

"You ain' a freak either."

"Ah know that. Ah'm just sayin' that she had it good compared t'some of us... an' some of us are doin' just fine." She nodded. "Freak or not."

He tipped his head to look at her and grinned easily. "You are doin' fine, aren't you? M'proud a'you Rogue. I really am."

She felt her cheeks grow warm and she laughed. "Why? Because ah'm secure in my freakishness?"

"Non," he kept his eyes fixed on hers, the intensity of his stare making her feel slightly uneasy. "Because y'grew into a strong, caring, smart, beautiful woman."

She rolled her eyes dramatically, hoping to distract him from her deepening blush. "Don't y'mean 'belle chère'?" She joked, hoping to ease the nerves that were forming a knot in her stomach.

He smiled, obviously noticing her blush despite her best attempts to hide it, but remained silent, waiting for her to respond.

"Well... thanks. Ah guess." She muttered awkwardly, her gaze falling to her feet.

"Y'welcome. I mean it too." She could just hear the amusement in his voice. "'Specailly 'bout d'smart thing. Yo' a brilliant tutor..."

Her head snapped up, the deep pink tone of her cheeks had already returned back to her normal pale complexion, and she gave him a small smile. "Your test?"

He nodded. "Oui."

"You passed! That's great!" She congratulated him, even though she really didn't understand why he thought it was such a big deal to simply pass a test. Especially when he so obviously knew the material she was tutoring him on, which just made her feel redundant half the time. When he shook his head with that cocky grin of his, her brow pinched together out of confusion.

"Ah don't follow..." He was happy he _didn't_ pass? Did he think it was _fun _to spend an hour a night being tutored by her?! Wasting her time when she could be studying her own material and preparing for her own tests?! ... Ok, so she didn't really care half as much as she probably should, but it was the principle of it, right?!

"Didn' just pass chère, I aced it."

Her face lit up in a smile "No way!" She smacked his arm lightly, and he grimaced playfully, holding the spot she'd hit. "Perfect?!"

"Oui!"

Rogue narrowed her eyes through her smile, pointing at him menacingly. "Did you cheat?"

He held up his hands, palms out, and leaned away from her slightly. "Non!"

"Wow!" She gaped at him slightly, the cheerful expression still playing on her face. "Ah really am a good tutor."

"O'maybe Remy just be dat smart."

Rogue laughed and nudged him gently. "Yeah, right." She crossed her arms, offering him a playful smile "Ah have to admit it Cajun, ah'm impressed again."

A slow grin crept across Remy's lips as he looked down at her. "I been doin' dat a lot t'day."

"Yeah, don't get used to it." She added teasingly, lifting her chin with an air of arrogance and a thick Southern accent. "It takes a lot t'turn mah head."

"Dat mean y'turnin' yo'head t'look at Remy?" He grabbed her arm to stop her, turning her around to look him in the eye.

"You're mighty presumptuous." She tried to smirk and make it sound like she was just as cocky as he was, but the sound of her heart beating in her ears was far too distracting.

He reached up slowly, brushing a strand of her white hair off her cheek; which she could only assume was now, again, a bright shade of pink. Her mind couldn't help but wander to the thought that this was the moment in the movies where they were supposed to kiss.

"Can ah ask you somthin'?" she whispered, and he inched closer offering her a small nod. She stared silently into his eyes for a moment before tipping her head to the side.

"Do you see normally, or is everything red?" she asked him, with the hint of a smile.

Remy dipped his head even closer to hers, his hand still hovering over her cheek bone, and he smiled. "It's only red chère, when yo'blushin'."

She scrunched up her nose comically and flicked his hand away from her face. "Ain't blushin' at all Gambit. Just tryin' t'stomach all a'your cheesy lines."

--

They arrived back at the institute just after dark with Logan waiting there to greet them at the top of the stairs outside, smoking a cigar. "Bout time you two got back." He grunted.

Remy glanced over to Rogue, watching for her reaction, but she just smiled and waved him off. "Ah'm fairly certain ah can fend for mahself Wolvie. No need t'worry about me."

"Yeah _Wolvie."_ Remy put his arm around Rogue's shoulders protectively. "Don' need t'worry 'bout a thing."

Logan frowned directly at Remy before snuffing out his cigar on the stone banister and looking back to Rogue. He grumbled something that Remy couldn't make out, giving his head a shake as he turned to head back in.

"Hurry up Stripes, it's gettin' cold out." he grunted, forcibly closing the door behind him.

Rogue shrugged out from under his arm and pulled his trench coat off, handing it back to him with a smile. "Thanks. Ah guess chivalry ain't dead after all, right?"

He draped the coat over his arm with a crooked smile and shrugged. "No problem chère."

"So..." She looked anxious, her eyes darted towards the door. "Ah guess ah'll see ya Monday after school. Ah mean, ah'll probably see y'round tomorrow too... livin' under the same roof an' all, but we'll probably be busy goin' about our business, right?"

"Yo'ramblin' Roguey." He dipped his head to look her in the eye. "Does Remy make y'nervous?"

"No." She said firmly, and he almost believed her. She crossed her arms tightly and jutted her chin out. "Not at all."

"Dat's good." He took a step towards her and gave her a warm smile. "I had fun with you t'day Rogue."

She shrugged indifferently, keeping her eyes anywhere but on his. "Yeah, ah guess ah did too."

He placed a hand on her shoulder, gently running it down the length of her arm. "Not bad for a first date?"

She was staring at him now, and he was sure she was going to punch him. "You considered _this_ a date?"

He shrugged playfully, inching closer. "Didn' you?"

"Well..." She looked away, seemingly contemplating the idea. "You didn't spend any money on me... but then ah suppose that might be normal, for a man in your line of work." She smirked. "You kind of invited yourself along with me, an' we spent the first two hours of this so-called-date, playin' with four year olds."

Remy shrugged. "We went fo'a romantic walk in d'park an' talked for..." He grabbed her wrist, glancing at the watch she had over her glove. "Three hours. Learned a lot 'bout one another, an' Remy even impressed you a few times."

"You didn't make too many dirty jokes..." Rogue added thoughtfully "An' you did give me your coat."

"See?"

"But... callin' it a date would imply that ah'm supposed t'kiss you now. Right?"

Remy chuckled and leaned away from her "Only if y'wanted to. Besides," He tucked a hair behind her ear and offered her a playful wink. "M'told dere's more t'dating den all dat physical part."

"You're told." She muttered with a smile and he gave her a meaningful nod.

"An' just how long would that last for?"  
He gazed into her hypnotically beautiful eyes and smiled. "For as long as you'd want me Rogue."

Her demeanor changed suddenly. She straightened her back and tipped her head to the side with a playful glint in her eye. "So, what if ah did wanna kiss you goodnight? You willin' t'die for a kiss?"

"Sure'd be a hell of a way t'go." He quipped, watching as she pressed up against his chest, gazing at him with those green eyes lidded ever so slightly; her smoky eye makeup causing the expression to look achingly sexy. She was a little vixen and didn't even know it. At least, she didn't act like she knew it. She moved her lips to his, hovering just inches away. "Hell of a way indeed..."

Right about now he realized she knew it. He could taste her breath against his mouth, feel her fingers splay across his chest as she leaned in a tiny bit more. And then her lips pressed against his gently. He braced himself for the energy to be drained, holding her arms tightly and hoping for the best, until she pulled away slightly. She must not have touched him long enough to take his energy.

"Are you sure?" She whispered, the sweet scent of her breath danced across his lips with her breathy question. With his eyes still closed he grinned.

"Yo'playin' with fire chère..."

"Who's playin'?" Rogue hummed, letting her mouth hover millimeters from his, as her hand moved up to the nape of his neck. She gently guided his head closer to her, smoothing her tongue along his mouth until he opened up, tipping his head to allow her access. He felt her hand run up the back of his neck into his hair as he waited for unconsciousness to take over, enjoying the feel of her so close to him in the mean-time. His hands wandered around her back, wrapping around her small form. Her taste, her smell, everything about her was intoxicating at this very moment, as their mouths moved in unhurried unison. Shouldn't he be passing out by now? The thought was interrupted by the sound of her throaty sigh, suddenly causing him to forget why he should be worried. Finally Rogue moved back, parting their flesh. Or maybe he'd blacked out. He opened his eyes slowly, staring directly at her.

"See y'round." She said in a husky whisper against his lips, and again he felt her warm breath against his skin. Once she turned around and left, he realized that he'd been standing there like an idiot with a blank look on his face as his mind failed to process the information fast enough.

He blinked at the place she'd just been standing, his brow finally twisting out of confusion. Realization finally set in about a minute too late, and his eyes widened at the front door.

**_

* * *

_**

**A/N: So, there were a few things now that I need to say. Number one: Brownie points to all who know who Franklin is!  
Number two: I'm sorry that this chapter was sooooo loooooong... I originally had the entire last scene as the beginning of the next chapter, but what fun is that! No fun at all. Number three: I hope their relationship progression makes sense to everyone here. I didn't want it to seem too rushed... but I wanted it to get to the point already. Not that anyone would mind that they're making out, which brings me to points Four: Rogue can touch!? Whaaa?! And Five: How hot was that? I hope it was good for you. Hahaha... ok, that's enough of my prattle... Last but not least, Six: I really hope you all are enjoying this... I just have such high aspirations for it, I don't want it to crash and burn... le sigh. :)**

**RogueNya: Yeah, it could have been longer, but then it _would_ have been bad. Action scenes are not my forte. Nope. **

**DancingtilSunset: I myself, hate the stereotype that women are horrific drivers, therefore I blamed it on Logan. :D It just seems logical. LOL!!**

**Pennylane87: I hope I don't let you down!!!! Gah! The pressure!**

**_Thanks for the reviews everyone! ~KC_**


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

"What were you doin' out with the Cajun?" Logan asked gruffly when she slipped through the front door.

"Clubbin' baby seals." She walked past him with a smirk. His expression told her that he failed to see the humor in her answer and she rolled her eyes "Relax, ah was just makin' nice."

"Yeah, right." He grunted. She hurried up the stairs to her room before he could interrogate her further. She heard him tell her something about dinner and left overs, but by the time his comment had registered, she was already around the corner. Her stomach was doing somersaults anyways, the last thing she wanted to do was eat.

Rogue scampered down the hall, and after bumping into a few younger mutants she forced her pace to a hurried walk. When she finally made it to her room, she slipped in, hastily closing the door behind her. She stopped and offered Kitty a calm grin, moving over to her dresser collectedly. "Hey Kit."

"Hey." Kitty looked up from her magazine reluctantly, her eyes instantly glued to Rogue as she inspected her. Her calm grin turned slightly uneasy as she tried to bite back the school girl giggle that was bubbling up inside her.

"Alright... where were you all afternoon, and what's with the silly grin?" Kitty closed the magazine and set it on her lap, folding her hands on top of it.

"Nowhere." Rogue shrugged. She pulled her hair out of its messy up-do and mussed it up to relax her scalp. "Ah just went to the daycare usual."

"It closes at four on Saturdays."

"So, ah went for a walk in the park!" She snatched her brush off the dresser and tugged it through her locks roughly, suddenly feeling defensive. "Ah'm allowed t'do that y'know."

"Rogue..." Kitty gave her a knowing look. "I know you far too well for that line to work on me. Unless..." A smirk tugged up the corners of her mouth as she narrowed her eyes. "Unless you weren't alone..."

Rogue kept her back to Kitty, continuing to brush her hair in silence as if she hadn't heard what her friend had said. She liked making Kitty suffer. It was payback for always being so damn nosy. And always being so damn right. She peeked at her from over her shoulder, the trace of a smile evident on her face.

Apparently that was answer enough.

"Oh my gosh, you weren't alone!" Kitty's legs swung over the edge of her bed sending the magazine she'd been reading skittering across the floor.

Rogue's silent smile was all Kitty got and she turned back to face the mirror, returning to brushing her hair. "Why Kitty, ah have no idea what you're talkin' about. Who ever could ah have been with?"

She watched Kitty through the reflection in the mirror as her shoulders slumped with a look of confusion written all over her face. It was much more fun when she made Kitty guess like this. She remained silent for a moment - an unlikely feat for Kitty Pryde- before knitting her brow to caution a guess.

"Peter."

"No."

"Drake?"

"What!?" Rogue laughed. "Come on Kitty."

Kitty stared at her silently, trying to read her before her eyes slowly widened. "Holy Moses, Rogue! Gambit?!"

Rogue silently set her brush down, pulling a drawer open and rummaging through it while Kitty gaped at her.

"No way! Gambit?! Gambit made you smile like that?!"

"Is that so much harder to believe than Bobby?" Rogue looked up at Kitty, her mouth drawn into a cynical smile.

"Oh my God Rogue! Tell me it's true! You have to tell me everything!" Kitty sprang to her feet, rushing over to Rogue to yank her down on her bed next to her. "I knew you were going to spend the day with him! I totally knew it!"

"Oh y'did not." Rogue rolled her eyes. "You were just tryin' t'bug me."

"So was it a date?"  
Rogue smiled to herself as she recalled their flirtatious banter before she'd shocked the hell out of him. She shrugged, tucking a hair behind her ear. "We just talked mostly. He asked me about mah newly acquired 'gifts', ah asked him why he took off. Stuff like that."

"Was he nice?"

"He was very nice. Ah didn't realize that man could be so kind for such a long time without makin' some kind of lewd joke." Rogue shook her head thoughtfully. "He was so... sincerely romantic Kit."

Kitty's eyes widened "You're totally like, falling for him!"

Rogue fought away a blush and looked away. "Ah don't know about that Kit. But he was actin' so sweet an' gentlemanly... Ah guess maybe that's why ah did it. And he actually wanted a second date before he even knew..."

Rogue looked off into space as she trailed off, and it wasn't until Kitty waved a hand in front of her eyes that she realized she must have a stupid dreamy look plastered on her face.

"Did what?" Kitty raised an eyebrow, and Rogue could tell she was trying not to laugh.

She cleared her throat to regain her composure. "Remember how ah told you... about the experimental research Professor X and Logan were doin' with me?"

Kitty's jaw dropped. "You told him?!"

"Kind of."

Kitty giggled "What do you mean kind of? Either you told him or you didn't! What did he say?!"

"He didn't say anything." Rogue shrugged again, a smirk creeping across her lips "His mouth was a little preoccupied... you shoulda seen the look on his face..."

Kitty gaped, again, at Rogue, causing her to crack up.

"Yeah! It was kinda like that!"

--

Remy rolled out of bed, running a hand through his tussled auburn locks, glancing at the alarm clock next to his bed. 9:15. He rubbed his eyes and wondered to himself when the last time was that he voluntarily woke up before noon on a weekend, two mornings in a row. His mind instantly wandered to Rogue, obviously. She was the reason for his out of character sleeping habits. He cracked his neck before stumbling over to his bathroom for a quick shower. A shower always worked to snap him out of his nearly conscious sleep state. He cranked the shower on and stepped in, letting the hot water pelt off the back of his neck in an attempt to massage out the knots that had formed due to a bad nights sleep. He hated to admit it, but it was also because of her. Just when he thought he had her figured out, she throws him for a loop. He found himself thinking about her while lying in his bed attempting to sleep. Wondering why she'd chosen to tell him that way. He wondered if she was having trouble sleeping too. Wondered if she was thinking about him... and now he was doing it again. What was wrong with him?! With a heavy sigh he shut off the tap and stepped out of the shower. He dried himself off, threw on a pair of jeans and black t-shirt and made his way down to the kitchen.

Through the throng of voices and bodies that bustled about in the crowded kitchen his eyes wandered over to the table where she was seated, munching on a piece of toast with her eyes glued to the news paper. She ___looked_well rested. Who was he kidding, she looked beautiful. The deep purple hue of her clingy shirt along with the smoky eye makeup she so skillfully applied made her green eyes look amazing. He moved over to the table, pulling the chair across from her out and sitting down with a grin.

"Mornin' fleur."

She dragged her eyes away from the news paper reluctantly. "Hmm? Oh, mornin'." she offered him a stale smile before turning back to her paper and taking another bite of toast.

"Y'look good."

"Thanks." Came her simple reply. No blush, no smile, not even eye contact. He stared at her as she chewed silently, acting as if yesterday hadn't happened at all. He'd never quite been in this situation before. He furrowed his brow and rubbed his forehead as he wracked his brain for an idea.

"Y'look tired."

Remy looked up at her, suddenly realizing she was watching him after all. "Didn' sleep too well."

"Hmm." She hummed, looking back at her paper. "Bad mattress?"

Alright, now she was teasing him. Before he had a chance to fire back, Bobby swooped over to her, draping his arm around her shoulder as he sat down in the chair next to her.

"Mmm... toast." The younger mutant snatched the half eaten piece of toast from her hand, taking a big bite. He furrowed his brow and looked down at her shirt, suddenly arching a brow and flicking his eye back up at her. "You're looking awfully sexy today... who are you trying to impress?"

There was her blush. Remy smirked. She was trying to impress _him_, wasn't she. "Can ah help you with something Drake?" She kept her eyes fixed to the paper, clearly in an attempt to save face.

"Can I have the funnies?"

She shifted through the paper, pulling out the middle section and handing it to him. "Now scram."

He stood up and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. "Thanks. And I can totally see down your shirt."

Rogue rolled her eyes as he scampered off. "The boys like t'push their luck... see how far they can go before ah snap." She explained, her eyes never leaving the page as she jerked her head towards the group of teenage boys in the corner.

"Dey got a death wish, non?"

She simply laughed. Remy's smile grew stale as he stared at her. "So... I think we need t'talk."

"About..?" Rogue closed the news paper and set it down on the table next to her.

He could see the evidence of a smirk trying to push it's way out on her lips. He ignored her amused look and frowned. "What happened last night Rogue." He said seriously.

"Nothin' happened Remy."

"Oh... see... I was confused 'bout dat." He smiled sarcastically. "Usually when d'femmes jump at Remy, shovin' their tounges down his throat-" She reached over the table and clamped a gloved hand over his mouth with her green eyes wide.

He pulled her hand off his mouth and narrowed his eyes playfully. "Oh so y'do remember!"

"Shh." She hissed, glancing around as she stood upright. His eyes followed hers and he realized she was trying to make sure no one heard. She smiled and looked back at him.

"Not here." She said through her clenched teeth, jerking her head towards the door. She moved towards the exit with him close behind her, following her through the hall to the empty rec. room.

He crossed his arms expectantly, waiting for her to begin explaining.

"The only people that know are Logan, Professor Xavier, Kitty an' you." She started, looking him in the eye. "So don't you start yappin' about it to everyone. Y'hear me?"

Remy furrowed his brow and cocked his head. "Nobody else knows?"

"Did ah stutter?" She put a hand on her hip abrasively. "Ah just don't want everyone pokin' an' proddin' at me, askin' if it's still workin'. Besides, it ah can't touch for very long... it's not a big deal."

It sure as hell felt like a big deal last night...

"Dat's not true Rogue." He knit his brow seriously. "Y'weren't even able t'touch fo' a split second without yo'powers kickin' in."

Her eyes suddenly lit up, but her face remained stiff. "Ah know." She couldn't hide the excitement in her voice. "But ah don't want t'get ahead of mahself."

"So... why'd y'tell me?" He asked, hoping it didn't sound as pathetic to her as it did to himself.

She sucked in a deep breath, causing her shoulders to lift and drop dramatically, and looked away. "Logan an' Professor X have been doin' research on mah condition for... a long time. About two years ago was when they noticed it. The dark an' disturbed thing?"

He smiled, nodding for her to continue. "Mah outlook changed an' they noticed that ah started t'have some limited control of mah powers. It started out as five seconds and in two years, it went up t'twenty."

Twenty seconds? She was right. It wasn't very long. But it still was a big deal as far as he was concerned. "Dat's... amazin' chère..." He paused and arched his eyebrows, waiting for her to answer his original question.

"Ah told you, because in the past two weeks, it's gone up to seven minutes."

He blinked at her. "Seven?"

"Seven." She nodded and looked away from him again.

"In two weeks?" He squinted at her, trying to do the math in his head. If it took her two years to get up to twenty seconds and then in the course of 14 days she jumped up to seven minutes, and there was sixty seconds in a minute...

"Remy!"

He focused on her again, understanding by the look on her face that he'd zoned out. "Dat's impossible!" He said finally with a resigned shrug.

"You're tellin' me!" She crossed her arms. "Ah guess you ain't such a bad influence on everyone after all."

"Dat still don' explain why y'told me..." He noticed her , and she squirmed.

"Do ah have t'spell it out for ya Cajun?"

He narrowed his eyes, trying to process what she was so defensive about. "You... think it's me?"

"Ah don't. But Professor Xavier does."

Remy smirked "But y'coulda jus' told Remy... didn' have t'demonstrate..."

"You complainin'?"

He took a step closer to her and lidded his eyes. "Ahh chère, does it look like Remy's complainin'?"

She smirked and looked away. He closed the gap between them, gently brushing the back of his knuckles along her cheek. He thought she'd jerk away from him, possibly give him a punch in the gut. But instead she leaned into it, like a cat being scratched behind the ear. She closed her eyes and put her small hand over his. He suddenly felt bad that the first feelings of bare flesh she'd feel against her cheek in years, was his rough skin. But she didn't seem to mind at all. Eventually she opened her eyes and smiled at him, and he noticed a hint of embarrassment in her smile as she looked down, pulling his hand away.

"Sorry." She turned away, letting his hand go to tuck a hair behind her ear.

He reached up with his other hand, smoothing his thumb along her jaw and over the cleft in her chin. "Don' be chère." He tipped her chin upwards to look into her eyes. "Dere's jus' one thing I have t'ask you..."

"Yeah?" She whispered, holding his gaze as her eyebrow perked up curiously.

"Where d'hell did y'learn t'kiss like dat?!" He asked with an exaggerated look of awe, enjoying the way her face flushed as she turned away and laughed. "M'serious! Y'give Remy a run fo'his money..."

She looked back at him, the laughter still playing on her expression as she reached up and tapped his nose. "That's the idea, sugah."

* * *

**_A/N: Thanks for the bodacious reviews dudes & dudettes! (Bill and Ted moment, sorry.) Hopefully this chapter answered your questions regarding Rogues powers, eh? She has limited control! woot woot! lol :) So this next chapter is proving to be a little bit more difficult for me, simply because I'm having a heck of a time actually writing the two of them happily together in this story. How sadistic is that? lol! Anyways, It'll be up soon... I just need to crank it out. (that's what she said?)_**

**_Sincerely Freaked: I don't find it odd at all that you're stoked to see that someone acutally spelled your name right. I myself have a unique name, and constantly get called something else, or have it spelled way wrong. So I'm glad I could help. lol! (I have a friend named Chrystal. haha)_**

**_RogueNya: Only if you were a guy? I mean, speaking as a straight female, I think I'd be even MORE shocked if Rogue kissed me. LOL! And everyone knows that Remy would be awesome with kids. Young minds drowning him in attention?! Heaven. :)_**

**_demonlrd66: Thank you! :) And I liked Remy's thoughts too. I wrote the kiss like this originally, but I didn't know if I wanted it to be so... grand, so I wrote it out. Remy's thoughts were the only thing that swayed me to keep the "hot" kiss in. And you are all welcome for that. LOL!!!_**

_**And to all who guessed that Franklin is the son of Reed Richards and Sue Storm, you all win a free trip to your local coffee shop!**_ *Some substitutions and regulations apply, void where invalid. May cause nausia, sexual malfunction, dizziness, loss of conciousness, and in extreme cases, death.

**_So thanks again for your reviews, I really enjoy reading everyone's supportive comments! (Uh oh... here comes the anxiety attack that goes along with the fear of letting everyone down... lol)  
_****_  
Catch you on the flip side!  
~KC_**


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven.

"I'm not going to keep covering for you."

Rogue craned her neck around to see Kitty standing behind her with her arms firmly crossed over her chest and a frown fixed on her pretty features.

"If Logan finds out, I'm so dead."

"Ah'm sure ah'd be more dead than you anyways." Rogue turned back to her mirror to finish applying her eyeliner.

"Well that's a physical impossibility. There's no way that you could be _more_ dead. You're either dead, or you're not." Rogue glanced at Kitty through her reflection in the mirror.

"Look, ah'm not askin' you to cover for me Kitty. Ah'm just askin' that you... bend the truth a little."

Kitty squinted. "That's covering Rogue."

Rogue smiled. "Can't put one past you can ah Kit?"

"I don't even like, understand why you're sneaking around. Everyone already knows about the two of you... including Logan..."

"Yeah, but it's more fun this way." Rogue looked back over her shoulder and wagged her eyebrows playfully. When Kitty laughed, she set down her eyeliner pencil and turned around to face her. "C'mon Kitty... you know the way he is with me."

"Wait, I'm confused now. Are we talking about Gambit or Logan?" Kitty snickered "Because I can only _guess_the way that Gambit is with you..."

Rogue laughed this time and rolled her eyes. "Mah point is, Logan thinks he's gotta play the role of the protective Parent. So really, ah'm doin' this just t'protect him."

"Yeah, that's a great rationalization..." Kitty droned sarcastically.

"If Logan knew ah'd told Remy about my powers, he'd assume that was the only reason he was showin' any interest in me, an' he'd never let it go."

"I gotta hand it to you Rogue, you're braver than me."

Rogue chuckled, pulling the first glove on and wiggling her fingers to make sure it was on tight. "Why is that, because ah'm up against the big bad Wolverine?"

"No," Kitty smiled "Well, yeah that too, but that's not what I was talking about."

"So then what are you talkin' about?"

"Well... you and Gambit are like, getting really close..." She dropped her gaze and played with the hem of her shirt coyly. "I can't imagine what it'd be like... not being able to move ahead in a relationship."

Rogue stared at her friend silently.

"I mean... I just don't think I could do it."

"There is more to a relationship than just the physical stuff Kit." She pulled her second glove on as she spoke, trying to keep her tone light.

"Yeah, but what do you do once you've gotten through all that other stuff? How long until he wants more?"

"Remy's not like that Kitty."

"Are you sure?"

Rogue stopped pulling on her glove and stared at Kitty. "Yes ah'm sure."

Kitty's shoulders sagged and she let out a breath. "I'm sorry Rogue. I didn't mean it to sound so... like, bitchy. I'm just lookin' out for you."

Rogue pressed her lips together and finished tugging on her black glove. "Ah told you already; Remy asked me out before ah showed him. An' ah don't need anyone lookin' out for me."

"You're right." Kitty smiled apologetically.

She nodded mechanically, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she headed towards the window. "So if anyone asks where ah am..."

"You ate some bad fish and you've been in the bathroom all day."

Rogue scrunched up her nose and shook her head. "Ah hope t'God you're kiddin'."

Kitty giggled and waved Rogue off. "Have fun!"

She slipped through the open window, giving Kitty one last wave before she drifted her way down to the grass below.

When she reached the bottom, she dusted her gloved hands together, gazing back upwards to the window she'd just escaped out of.

It wouldn't be this way if Logan would only give her an ounce of trust. He was always so paranoid when it came to her. Like he could stop any of the worlds problems from getting to her just by keeping her from the world. Over-parenting 101. She rolled her eyes and let out a breath, her gaze shifting over to the garage. She had no idea why Logan was felt so inclined to over parent her, as it were. But she wasn't willing to sit around and wait to find out. She was 19 for heavens sake! Perfectly capable of making her own decisions in the matters of the heart. And her decision was loud and clear.

The rev of a Harley's engine brought a smile to her lips and she turned around to watch it roll up from the opposite direction she'd expected.

"Ah thought you were standin' me up." She crossed her arms and smiled playfully.

"Remy's far too much of a gentleman t'do dat chère." He scolded her, an equally playful smirk appearing on his lips as he set a foot down on the pavement to steady the bike. "Did anyone see you?"

Rogue shook her head. "Nope. Ah don't think so."

He put a hand on her hip and tugged her closer. "Y'don' think so? Y'best be positive Roguey." He whispered with a mischievous smirk.

"Alright," Rogue tipped her head back slightly to look him in the eye "Then ah am."

He inched closer and narrowed his eyes. "Y'sure?"

She nodded, leaning forward to close the tiny gap between them. She pressed her lips against his, lacing her arms around his neck, hugging herself as close to him as their current positions would allow. She pulled back an inch and grinned. "Ah'm sure."

Remy raised an eyebrow "Hmm... m'not sure dat I'm completely convinced yet..."

Rogue laughed and hopped on the bike behind him. "Get goin' swamp rat, before someone _does _see us."

--

Remy reluctantly brought the bike to a stop when they reached the secluded park, kicking the stand out with one swift motion as Rogue pulled her body away from him. He shut the motorcycle off and dismounted the bike, offering her a hand that she didn't seem to notice through her peripheral vision. She pulled the bulky helmet off her head and tucked it under her arm, using her free hand to muss up her hair. Remy let out an appreciative low whistle, tipping his head to the side with a smile.

"Am ah givin' you a good show Cajun?" she gave him a coy smile, striking a pose for him that caused him to nod slowly before she lifted her long, slender leg over the body of the bike.

She tossed the helmet to him with a chuckle and shook her head. "Take a picture, it lasts longer."

"Didn' bring my camera chère. Care t're-enact it f'me later?'

She laughed heartily this time, as she passed by him, twisting her gloved hand into his and guiding him to follow her. His eyes scanned the picnic area, looking for a good place to settle in the sparsely treed area. Before he had a chance to pick out a spot, Rogue pointed happily and tugged him along quicker. She led him to a large oak tree at the top of a small incline, sitting down at its base with a grin.

"Look." She pointed towards the setting sun in front of her. "We can see the sun set from here."

He smiled and joined her on the ground, leaning his back against the tree trunk and letting her snuggle against his chest. He'd insisted on taking her out somewhere fancy; or even just somewhere where he'd have to pay actual money, but she declined, telling him to save his cash for easier chicks. He chuckled at the very thought of him even being able to think of anyone else but her, let alone try to date someone 'easier'.

"The simple pleasures in life." She whispered with a content sigh. "Sittin' here with mah main squeeze, under a beautiful oak tree, on a warm spring evening, watchin' the sun set."

Remy snorted "Did y'just call Remy yo'_ main squeeze_?"

She sat up just far enough to look him in the eye with a frown. "Yeah, why?"

"No reason chère, I jus' must've forgot t'change my clock to 1955."

"Ha ha." She smacked his chest playfully. "You're a comedian."

With a chuckle, he tugged her back down to her resting position against him, wrapping his arm loosely around her. "Yeah? Y'think Remy could make a livin' off it?"

"Ah wouldn't give up your day job." He felt her smile against him as she shook her head. After a few moments of silence as they watched the orange glow of the sun fade behind the horizon, she adjusted her position, scooting herself up a bit to rest her head on his shoulder.

"Did you ever think you'd be here sittin' with lil' ol' me like this?" She mused. He let his chin rest against her head as he watched her gloved fingers tangle in his.

"Oui."

She tried to look up at him unsuccessfully from her position, her gaze turning to their hands instead as he rubbed circles along the back of her hand with his thumb.  
"Really?"

"Well, dat is t'say, I fantasized."

She snorted. "Remy Lebeau, if you were fantasizin' about me, then it didn't look anything like this. An' you were fantasizin' about me?!"

He chuckled. "Chère, y'always assume d'worst with Remy. I am a gentleman y'know."

"Yeah, you keep sayin' that..."

"Never thought of you _dat _way, but I always thought dis would be nice. Me an' you like dis."

She twisted out of her position to look him in the eye. "Really?"

"Really."

She squinted. "Even when ah was dark an' disturbed?"

He laughed. "Roguey, you an' I were cut from d'same cloth. Dark an' disturbed an' all. It's always been apparent t'me dat if anyone out there would really understand Remy, it'd be you. Besides, y'were pretty cute with all dem studded collars an chains."

A smile lit up her face and she lowered herself back down to his shoulder. "Thanks... ah guess."

"Y'welcome."

"But ah don't really understand you."

"Never said y'would... jus' said you'd have d'best shot at it."

She laughed. "That should make me happy, but instead ah feel a little depressed."

Remy grimaced. "Oh chère. Y'words are like knives." He grabbed his chest with the hand that wasn't linked with hers and shook his head. "Y'hurt Remy so easily."

She twisted herself to a half sitting position, and looked up at him with a glimmer of playfulness in her eye. "Where does it hurt?"

"Here." He patted his chest, watching as she unlaced her fingers from his to lean down, gently moving the hand that directed her to his pain, and planting a soft kiss over his heart.

She looked up at him with a smile and he pouted, pointing to his neck. She laughed softly, inching her way up to his neck, her warm breath tickling across his flesh causing the hairs on his arms to stand up. He resisted the urge to shiver when her lips met his skin, gently fluttering across his collarbone before she finally looked up at him with a soft smile.

He pointed to his lips, a tiny smirk tugging one corner upwards. She leaned in further towards him, letting her parted lips graze gently against his, keeping her eyes fixed on his as her one gloved hand wandered up his chest, winding its way around to the back of his neck. He tipped his chin up a fraction of an inch, just enough to close the minuscule space between them. His eyes closed when their lips met in a soft gentle kiss. He felt Rogue's hand move up from the back of his neck into his hair, trying to pull him in closer; as if that were even possible. The soft gentle kiss was suddenly slightly more urgent. Remy wound an arm around her small form, trying very hard not to let out the throaty groan he could feel building inside. She shifted her weight, moving her body so it was practically right on top of his. She was making it very... difficult... for him. She uttered a small moan that reverberated in his mouth; far too _difficult__. _He pulled away from her, offering her a lopsided grin as she knit her brow.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothin' chère." He sucked in a deep breath. "Just thought we should slow it down un petit peu."

"Is that the _gentleman_ crap again?" She rolled her eyes exaggeratedly and smiled. "You can stop tryin' t'convince me y'know. Ah see through your facade."

"We gunna miss d'sun set."

She pursed her lips for a moment, seemingly contemplating his argument, before giving him a shrug. "Ah've seen it before anyways."

He could have pushed his argument further, but he really didn't want to. Not after she crushed herself up against him again, letting out a tiny purring sound as she locked their lips.

"Besides," She whispered against his mouth with a playful grin. "this is much more fun."

The groan that was building up in his throat finally escaped through his smiling lips. "Seven minutes in heaven chère."

Rogue chuckled, her body shaking against his with the simple action. He lifted a hand to cup her jaw gently, his expression growing serious as his eyes searched her face.

"Ahh Rogue..." He murmured, smoothing a strand of white off her forehead. "What are y'doin' t'me?"

She pressed her lips together as a blush broke out over her cheeks, her eyes darted downward shyly.

Remy tucked his crooked finger under her chin to see her eyes, dipping his head slightly until their eyes met. He gazed at her, a smile lifting up a corner of his mouth. _Dieu, _how he loved to see her blush. He had no idea what she'd done to him, but he sure as hell liked it. He couldn't get enough of her. It was like every day he'd wake up, just to be able to see her. It was as if he existed for the sole purpose of making her happy. He was acting as if he was in... you know... the 'L' word.

She smiled at him silently, gazing back at him with a dreamy look that he figured matched his perfectly, until out of nowhere, her eyes glazed over. She sat up abruptly, tearing her gaze away from him and shook her head.

"Shit, Remy..." She rubbed her forehead with the palm of her hand. "Ah just remembered that ah have a paper due t'morrow."

He sat up slightly. "Oh. Y'want Remy t'take-"

"No." She stood up, brushing the blades of grass off her perfect _derrière_ before looking down to him with her eyebrows knit together. She managed a smile and shook her head. "It'll be faster if ah fly. Ah'm gunna need all the time ah can get."

He stood and frowned. "Y'sure? Remy can motor pretty fast on dat thing."

"It's ok." Her stressed expression eased a bit as she leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Take your time... drive safe. Alright? Ah'll see you tomorrow after class."

Remy gave her a nod and watched as she hovered in the air before zipping off upwards. He shoved his hands in his pockets and headed over to the bike, saddened by the idea that the journey home wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable as the drive there. Not without her huddled up closely behind him; her arms wrapped tightly against his chest and her head buried against his back.

He shook his head at the thought and stopped dead in his tracks at the sudden realization that he couldn't stop thinking about her.

That proved it alright. He wasn't 'acting' like it; he actually was.

In love.

* * *

**_A/N- Ahhh Remy... why does it always take you so long to clue into your emotions?! lol... whatever, anyways, I apologize for the "late" update... (it wasn't really late, but by my standards it was.) I'm in the middle of a move out of province (Canada...) so I'm trying to update as best I can._**

**_Thanks for your sweet reviews! Keep them coming!_**

**_~KC_**


	8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight.

Rogue drifted in through the open window shortly after sun set, the curtains fluttering with her airy movement as she touched down on her floor. She shut the window and locked it, shaking her head over and over again.

"Rogue?!" Kitty gasped, clutching her chest from her position in the bathroom doorway. "You scared the b'jeepers out of me!"

She muttered an apology as she tugged the curtains closed.

"Is everything alright? You're home really early, I didn't even see Logan yet to tell him your bogus cover up story." She frowned as she watched Rogue turn around, worry marring her pretty face.

"What's wrong?"

"Ah'ma terrible, awful, stupid stupid girl Kitty." She shook her head again, tearing her gloves off angrily. "What the hell is wrong with me?!"

"What are you talking about?! I don't think you're stupid!"

"Well you should." She finally looked up at her. "You were right Kit. Damn you and your damn brain!"

"I was right?" Kitty's face twisted up in confusion. "What about my brain?!"

"Ah can't do this." She raked her hands through her hair, her eyes flicking about the room anxiously. "What the hell was ah thinkin'?!" She scoffed at her own question, her eyes drifting towards the ground. "Ah know exactly what ah was _thinkin_'."

"Rogue!" Kitty nearly shouted in an attempt to capture her attention. Rogue's eyes flicked up towards Kitty's and she frowned.

"We were havin' a good time. Just sittin'... enjoyin' one another's company." She flopped down on her bed, letting her hands fall listlessly into her lap. "We started kissin'."

Kitty grinned excitedly, scooting closer to Rogue and sitting down next to her on the bed. "Details!"

Rogue narrowed her eyes. "Not now Kit."

"Oh... right. Terrible, awful, stupid stupid girl. What happened?"

"So we started kissin', and everything was goin'..." She closed her eyes as she remembered the events. "Nicely... An' then he pulls away an' tells me we should slow down a bit."

"So? That's good! He's actually a man of morals! Go figure." Kitty mumbled the last part, trying to plaster on a smile to make it seem as if she was joking.

Rogue let out a breath and continued. "Yeah, well... ah reluctantly obliged. Eventually. An' then he stares at me. His face goes all serious an' he just stares with this look of... admiration on his face."

"Awwww..."

"An' he says 'what are you doin' t'me?' Of course, ah blushed, mah mind instantly going to the obvious answer of what ah'm doin' to him..." She explained, waving a hand in the air as if the answer was clear to everyone what she was _trying_to do to him. "But then... he keeps starin' at me, like he's tryin' t'figure it out with that dreamy look in his eyes. An' all ah could think about was how much ah loved bein' there with him. Ah loved the feel of his arms around me." She closed her eyes as she remembered the feeling, hugging herself gently to try to re-create it unsuccessfully. "An' then ah figured out what he was talkin' about. What ah'm doin' to him."

Rogue opened her eyes and turned to face Kitty with her brows pinched together. "Ah think he's fallin' for me."

Kitty's jaw dropped. For the first time in a long time, the younger girl was actually rendered speechless. After a long moment, Rogue turned away and shook her head.

"But isn't that good? I mean... usually that's a good thing." Kitty frowned.

"No! Don't you get it Kitty?! You were right! Ah should never have..." Rogue dragged her fingers through her hair and closed her eyes again. "Ah got too far ahead of mahself. You were right Kit, ah can't have a relationship that sits on second base forever. Ah should never have lead him on like that."

"You didn't lead him on Rogue, he was well aware of your limitations. He knew what he was getting into." Kitty put a hand on Rogues back as she spoke gently. "And maybe you're right... maybe he's _not_ like that. Maybe he can live with snuggling and making out." she added with a shrug.

"Ah'm such an idiot for even considerin' bein' with someone." Rogue shook her head bitterly.

"You're not an idiot Rogue. You're human. It's totally normal for you to want to be with someone." She paused and bit her lip, glancing over to Rogue hesitantly. "What about you? How do you feel about him?" Kitty said softly and Rogue stiffened.

"It doesn't matter now. What's done is done." she muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"Ah mean that ah need t'cut mah losses. Get out while ah can. Before..." She shook her head, refusing to finish the sentence out loud. Before she hurts him. She balled her hands into fists and squared her jaw, her eyes flicking over to the spot on her wrist where Carol Danvers had ended her life. Seven minutes was just not long enough.

"Rogue..." Kitty whispered, resting a hand on her bare wrist. Rogue's eyes dragged back up to meet Kitty's through her frown and Kitty offered her a sad smile. "You wanna get out of here tonight? Go party or something? I can like, totally help you forget about him."

Rogue shook her head. "No thanks Kit. Ah'm not really in the mood. Besides, ah have class tomorrow."

Kitty patted her friends hand sympathetically. "Well, let me know if you need anything. Okay? Do you want to come down to the kitchen with me?"

"Ah just wanna be alone Kitty."

Kitty nodded silently and slipped out the door. Rogue let out a deep breath and laid back, resting her head on her pillow, squeezing her eyes shut tightly as she thought about what she was going to have to do. She'd have to break it off with him before they _both_ got in over their heads. There was no point in dragging him down with her. But judging from the look in his eyes as he'd gazed at her adoringly... she might already be too late. How selfish of her; to want to have a normal relationship. When obviously, such a thing was next to impossible. At this point in the game at least. She could just kick herself for getting so... caught up in it all. Logan had been right to disapprove of their relationship, and Kitty had been right to question her on it.

She was the naïve, immature moron who was rebelling against them all. And now Remy would pay the price for her stupidity.

--

Remy grinned to himself as he sat at their usual table in the library. He couldn't wait to see her, as usual, but this time it was different. This time he knew why. He was in love with her. The very thought sent a shot of adrenalin coursing through his veins. He'd never felt this way before, and it was absolutely terrifying... and thrilling, and exciting, and... amazing...

It was a kind of high you couldn't pay for. But if he could bottle it up and sell it, he'd sure as hell make a fortune.

His grin broadened as he heard her footsteps behind him, getting closer before coming to a stop.

"Hey."

It wasn't her voice. He turned around, slightly disappointed to see Kitty standing behind him with her arms crossed and a frown on her face. He hid his disappointment and gave her a friendly nod.

"How can Remy help you p'tite?"

"I hate when you call me that." She grumbled with an irritated eye-roll. She quickly composed herself and gave him a small smile. "Rogue asked me to come down and tell you that she won't be able to make it tonight."

He frowned. "Non?"

"No. She's not feeling well."

Remy stood up. "Is she alright? I should go check on her."

"That won't be necessary Gambit. She's just resting right now."

He nodded reluctantly and Kitty offered him another sympathetic smile before turning to leave. There was something in the way she looked at him that caused him to frown. She was lying.

"Kitty." He called after her, prompting her to spin around and stare at him expectantly. "Y'sure she's alright?"

Kitty pressed her lips together in a thin, attempted smile and gave him a shrug. She spun around and hurried out of the library with her head down.

Remy's frown deepened, the natural high from a few moments ago suddenly a distant memory. He tried to recall the events from last evening in a strictly objective light. Had he done something to upset her? She had left in an odd way... but he figured she was upset about the paper she'd forgotten to write.

He squinted as if to try to put things into perspective. What if there was no paper? What if she just wanted to leave, and he'd been so blind by his adrenalin induced high that he hadn't even noticed. He rubbed his forehead with a frustrated sigh and shook his head.

The only way he'd figure it out, was by talking to her. So ignoring Kitty's objections, he headed up to her room. He walked slower than usual, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground ahead of him as he tried to plan out the impending conversation to the best of his ability. When he reached her door, he sucked in a deep breath and knocked firmly before returning his clenched fist to his side. He squared his jaw as he waited impatiently, propping himself up against the doorjamb with his other clenched fist, giving the door another knock.

"Chere, please open d'door..." he glanced around him quickly once he noticed the pleading tone to his voice, hoping that no one else around had noticed it. "Rogue?"

He turned the doorknob slowly, poking his head into the dark room. In one quick glance, he could tell it was empty. Where the hell was she?! And further more... what the hell was going on?!

--

Rogue sat upright as Kitty phased through the bedroom door, not even bothering to open it up. "What'd he say?"

"He totally knows you're avoiding him." Kitty gave her a nonchalant shrug, moving over to the vanity to apply a quick layer of lipstick. "He's smarter than he looks."

Rogue glared at the back of Kitty's head, a thousand quick retorts running through her mind all at once. Rather than pick one, she frowned and shook her head disapprovingly.

Kitty peeked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes "I totally didn't mean it like that. I meant that gorgeous boys like him don't usually have much goin' on upstairs. Now downstairs..."

"Kitty!" Rogue stopped her with a laugh. "You're really not helpin' here."

Kitty giggled, popping the lid back on her tube of lipstick and smacking her lips. "So like, are you ready to go?" she raised an eyebrow, giving Rogue a once-over that clearly showed she did not approve of her choice of outfit for the evening.

"Yes, ah'm wearin' this. It ain't like ah'm tryin' t'pick anyone up."

Kitty gave a thoughtful shrug "That's true. I could use a wing man. Also, an ugly friend always makes you look way better..."

Rogue frowned. "Fine. What would you rather?"

Kitty gave her a wide grin and picked up a sweater in a vibrant deep purple hue and tossed it towards Rogue. "Throw this on instead. Totally hot! Hurry up."

She obeyed Kitty's orders, changing shirts quickly before motioning Kitty towards her at the window "Let's go then."

Kitty paused. "We're not... like... flying. Are we?"

"Unless you'd rather jump out the window and hobble over to mah car." Rogue put an impatient hand on her hip as she waited for Kitty's response. Kitty's eyes widened and she put a finger to her lips.

"Someones coming!" She hissed, scurrying over to Rogue after flicking the light out. Rogue scooped her arm around Kitty and jumped out the window quickly, shooting towards her car as fast as she could. The girls got in to Rogue's bright green car without giving the window a second glance and tore out of the institutes parking lot before anyone could stop them. The very thought of Logan catching them right in the act of sneaking out sent shivers down her spine. She might be invulnerable, but that man still had the capability to terrify her.

Kitty talked the entire car ride over to the club, and Rogue nodded along politely drifting in and out of attentiveness, her mind constantly drifting back to Remy. She couldn't stop thinking about him. Agonizing over the impossible decision she had to make in cutting him out of her life. Wondering what the ever-increasing knot tightening in the pit of her stomach meant every time she imagined his voice... or his smell... or the way he'd gazed at her last night. It was just guilt, that's all. Right? She felt bad because Remy was smitten and she hadn't anticipated that ever happening. Ever. Like in a thousand years. She'd just been having fun with him... enjoying their time together. Enjoying the feeling of being herself with someone other than Kitty for once. And now as she sat at the bar, nursing a glass of water that she'd had long enough for the ice cubes to melt away, she grimaced at the thoughts she couldn't force out of her head.

"Have one on the house sweet heart."

Rogue looked up at the attractive young bartender who slid an apple martini towards her with a grin.

"You look like you could use it."

"Do ah really look that pathetic?" Her frown deepened comically.

"Not pathetic. Just stressed."

"Well..." Rogue slid the glass towards herself and offered him a strained smile. "ah probably could use it."

His friendly smile broadened and he offered her a nod. "If you need anything else, just holler."

She silently watched him walk away, wishing he would have stuck around longer to distract her a bit more. Her eyes wandered over to Kitty who was clearly enjoying herself on the dance floor. That girl might know how to have a good time, but she was lousy at helping a pal recover from an impending break up.

Was that even normal? An impending break up. She hadn't even done it yet, she was too much of a wimp. She couldn't look into his deep eyes and... lie to him.

Someone bumped into her from behind, causing her to bristle instantly. Another thing with Kitty; she didn't take Rogue's "space" issues into account when picking a destination to "relax". It was so crowded here that she couldn't spit without hitting someone. Another jolt from behind knocked her half empty glass of water over, spilling it across the bar. Rogue closed her eyes and balled her fists tightly, attempting to calm her nerves. After yet another bump to the back of her head she snatched the martini off the soaked counter top and chugged it.

It burned her throat as it went down, the warm feeling spreading across her chest, instantly making her face flush. She needed fresh air. Too many people... too much on her mind.

She stood up, curling her shoulders forward in an attempt to make herself as small as possible while threading her way through the crowd. She found her way through the throng of people, forging forward to the less populated area, continuing to walk until there were less and less people. She headed through the large doors that led to the patio reserved for summer time restaurant use, letting out a breath of relief when she saw it was dead. The doors closed behind her, muffling out the harsh sounds from inside in an instant. In it's place was a soft song that played through the speakers mounted on the outside wall.

"Feelin' better?"

Her head snapped to the left, staring wide eyed at the man leaning against the building. Apparently she wasn't alone.

"Remy." She breathed, feeling herself relax in spite of the fact that he was the last person on earth she wanted to see right now.

"How'd y'find me?"

"Got Logan to track your scent."

Her eyes widened suddenly; make that the second last person. She took a step towards him out of rage when she realized he was chuckling.

"That's not even funny." She pouted. He continued to chuckle, still leaning against the wall, still not looking at her.

"Couldn' resist. So y'wanna tell ol'Remy what's goin' on?"

"Remy..." Rogue frowned and sucked in a breath. "Ah think we need t'talk."

"We would've had plenty of time t'talk if y'hadn't played hookie earlier." He grinned, finally looking up at her. If there was one thing Remy Lebeau was good at, it would be his perfect poker face. But now, as they stared at one another, Rogue could see straight through it. His brows pinched together despite his easy smile that didn't quite reach his eyes and she could just tell; she was torturing him.

"Ah'm sorry about that." She cast her eyes downward sheepishly.

He stepped towards her taking her hand in his, lacing his fingers through hers gently. "I forgive you. Now, what is it y'needed t'tell me?"

Rogue swallowed hard as she stared at her feet. She'd never had to break up with someone before, and certainly not when she didn't really want to.

"This is really hard Remy." She couldn't bring herself to look up at him. Instead, she kept her eyes fixed on her shoes and frowned. "Ah just... think we should... spend some time apart."

"An' why is dat?"

"Remy... don't be difficult."

"Ain' bein' difficult, just tryin' t'figure out what I might've done t'deserve dis sudden display of disinterest." He raised an eyebrow expectantly as she finally looked up at him. If she told him her real reasoning, he'd simply find a way to reassure her. Break down her resolve with a crooked grin and silly joke and they'd keep on living like everything was fine. Pretending that they were a normal couple with normal hopes and dreams. But they weren't, and it was because of her. Before she could find a response in her conflicted mind, he dipped his head to look her in the eye.

"Are we movin' too fast chére?" He searched her face as he spoke and Rogue couldn't help but notice the worry lines on his forehead. She had to end this now. "Because if Remy remembers correctly, y'were d'one doin' all d'... movin'..." he gave her a smile to try to ease the tension.

She let out a deep breath, and looked away, preparing to respond when he gently turned her chin to meet her eyes.

"Dance with me chére."

"Huh?"

He smiled and nodded towards the speakers bolted to the wall.

It was then that she noticed the violins playing the soft strains of an early 90's rock ballad. How suiting; one of the saddest songs she could think of with a music video about a bride being shot to death on her wedding day to mark the end of their relationship. At that very moment, it felt vaguely as if someone had reached into her chest, grabbed a hold of her heart, and began squeezing it violently. Oh no... this wasn't going to be easy at all...

Rogue hesitated, her eyes flicking towards the door before letting out another deep sigh and giving him a nod. Maybe he didn't quite understand what she meant by 'need some space', but one last dance couldn't hurt. She owed him that much at least.

He wrapped his arm around her, adjusting her hand in his to suit their stance, his body gently pressed against hers as they swayed softly to the music.

He dipped his head, his lips brushing against her ear gently. "See, dis ain' so bad."

She didn't need to look at him to know he had that stupid cocky smirk fixed on his face. She was too focused on trying to calm her racing heart to conjure up a snappy come back. She forced herself to focus on something other than his heavenly scent, and the feel of his breath against her hair. She'd focus on the song... that should work to distract her.

_When I look into your eyes, I can see your love restrained._

_But darlin' when I hold you, don't you know I feel the same._

The squeezing sensation she felt in her heart doubled and she quickly reached the conclusion that the song was not going to help at all. It'd only make it worse.

"Is dis enough space?" He asked with his half grin.

"Remy..." She groaned.

"Rogue, M'just playin'." He rested his cheek against her head and she squeezed her eyes shut tightly. She could hear the rumble of his voice through his chest when he spoke; the sound was like angles singing. Damnit. Focus on the song again.

_But lovers always comin', lovers always goin' no one's really sure who's letting go today,  
Walkin' away._

_If we could take the time to lay it on the line I could rest my head just knowin that you were mine…. All mine.  
So if you wanna love me then darlin' don't refrain.  
Or I'll just end up walkin' in the cold November rain._

_Do ya need some time; here on your own._

Maybe it'd make it easier for her to tell him good buy if she made it seem like there might be some hope in the future.

"Remy, ah think ah just need some time... away from 'us'." She whispered, appalled at how feeble her voice sounded in her own ears.

"Everybody needs some time on their own." He answered casually, the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his eyes. She couldn't help but crack a smirk herself as he spoke the song lyrics to her.

"Ah'mserious Remy." She pressed on, determined to make her point. "Maybe you were right... things are just goin' too fast an' ah..." She wracked her brain for the right thing to say. "Ah don't know." Well that was pathetic. How could she dump the guy when she couldn't even sound convincing to herself?!

He frowned, tipping his head to get a better look at her face. "Well dat could be a problem. I don' mind slowin' things down with chére, you say d'word an' I'd do it f'you. But spendin' time away from you... I don' think I could." His eyes roamed across her face as he reached up to brush the fringe off her temple. "Now dat I know what I'd be missin'. I hope you ain' startin' t'doubt me Rogue."

Her brows pinched together and she shook her head. "Doubt you? What are you talkin' about?"

Remy looked away and Rogue blinked blankly at him. He looked so... insecure. She'd never seen the cocky, suave Cajun look this way before; and it was very unnerving.

"Yeah, I mean..." He squirmed slightly, showing her even more of the side of him she never even dreamed he had. "Don' exactly have d'best reputation with relationships... I don' want you t'think dat I'm usin' you." He looked back at her, his composure quickly regained as if he'd never lost it at all, and gazed deeply into her eyes. She gazed back, letting herself get lost in him. What was _he_ doing to _her_?! Why couldn't she just let go?! He tipped his head to the side, his eyes scanning her face admiringly. "I love bein' with you. Seein' yo'smile every day, makin' you laugh. Or tryin' to at least."

She smiled in spite of herself, his eyes settling on hers once again. The truth of the matter was, she _wanted _him to convince her they could be together. She wanted to be with him just as much as he wanted her. And the selfish part of her, was letting him win. She tried to convince herself she was worrying about nothing... Everything would be fine in time... she could feel herself sinking into him, being drawn towards him; her resolve slowly melting away.

"D'thingis Rogue..." He started, a smile tugging up one corner of his mouth gently. A real, genuine smile that caused her heart to skip a beat. How could she ever say goodbuy to that? He was the only person she'd ever met that had such an affect on her, and she loved it.

She closed what little space they had between them, hugging herself against him tightly, not wanting to let him go. Her head nestled against his chest so she could hear the rapid beat of his heart and she closed her eyes contently. "Hmm?"

"I'm in love with you."

She pulled back in a flash, staring at him silently. The only sound she could hear was the sound of her mental bubble suddenly bursting. "Remy..." She'd let it go too far. "No..."

He frowned as she stepped back from him. "No?"

"No... you're not. You can't be. Don't... don't be." She took a step back, holding up her hand to stop him from moving towards her. "Ah need to go."

"Rogue, what are you-"

"Ah'm sorry Remy." Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked away before he had a chance to see. "It's over." She pulled the door open violently, the sound of pulsing music flooding over her instantly, dulling her senses slightly.

"Rogue!"

She didn't respond. She closed her eyes and barrelled through the throng of people, wincing at every bump and jostle as she tried to forge a path through the crowd with as little bodily contact as possible. Finally, she reached the other side, pushing her way though the exit, starting towards her car. Rather than take the chance of him catching up to her and confronting her, she picked up her pace to a sprint and lifted up into the air, speeding away. She squeezed her eyes shut as she flew upwards in an attempt to keep herself from giving him one last glance over her shoulder until she was out of sight. She didn't want to look back. No regrets and no looking back. What's done is done. And it's for the best anyways. It was bad enough her heart was tearing apart, but what she could only imagine she put him through... falling in love with her... how could she be so stupid!? And selfish! She slowed to a stop when she thought she was high enough and far enough that no one could see her. That he couldn't see her, and she turned around. Even from such a distance, she could see as clear as day; he was gone.

* * *

**_A/N: THERE WAS NO ENGLISH PAPER! IT WAS ALL A RUSE! A RUSE BY ROGUE! lol... _**

**_Alrighty! So this is it for a while (a few weeks at least) cuz I'm movin' tomorrow! I just wanted to make one last post before I'd be rendered internet-less and busy for the next X-ammount of time. Which, I suppose, why it's also super long. That and the fact that I didn't really plan it out so well... whatever. It's not my finest work, I revised this chapter like... 8 times. Litterally. And I'm not thrilled with it, but it's good enough. Like I said, I just wanted to get this up before I left. :) So, I hope you have NICE reviews for me... please be nice... and thank you for the reviews I've been receiving!_**


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine.

No? She didn't want him to be in love with her? Wasn't that supposed to be a good thing... when someone professes their love to you? He rubbed the back of his neck as he watched her run fervently across the pavement; away from him. Was he really so hard to live with that the very knowledge of him caring about someone sent them, litterally running? A frown spread across his brow and he squared his jaw, grateful that no one could hear his silly insecure musings before he turned around and headed back towards his bike. No, something had been off with her and it had nothing to do with his confession. The only person who might be able to shed a negligible amount of light on the subject would be Kitty.

Remy changed direction, heading back towards the club with his hands stuffed rigidly into his pockets. Kitty was the next best thing to speaking to Rogue herself, which clearly, was out of the question. He found her scurrying through the crowd on her tiptoes, obviously searching for Rogue, he assumed.  
Her eyes widened, visibly shocked when she found him instead.

"What are you doing here?" She shouted, projecting her voice over the clubs roaring music.  
Remy frowned. "Just talkin' to Rogue. She took off."  
Kitty crossed her arms and let out an audible sigh "Dammit. She was my ride home."  
Remy resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He was now bound by his Tante Maddie's rules of ethics to offer her a ride home. After all, it was the gentlemanly thing to do.  
He jerked his head towards the exit, leading the way in silence to the parking lot.

"She's coming to her senses you know."  
Remy stopped next to his bike and looked back at Kitty as he processed what she said. "An' what do you mean by dat p'tite?"  
Kitty looked down at her hands as she fidgeted with the ring on her index finger. "It's nothing against you Gambit." She looked up at him, her fingers still twirling the ring anxiously.

"How much longer could it have gone on like this? It was just a matter of time."  
He noticed her shiver as she looked back down at her hands. "And I think it's better that she ended it before things got like, way too serious. Right?"  
He frowned. Rather than answering her rhetorical question, he pulled his trench coat off and handed it to her.

"It'll get windy." He muttered. At least Kitty cut right to the chase, he had to give her that much. It didn't take a genius to deduce that the girl wasn't exactly fond of him dating her best friend. But she certainly wasn't one to force her opinions on Rogue, and Rogue certainly wasn't one to take forced opinions kindly. Rogue had clearly reached this decision on her own. Rogue the martyr. Sacrificing herself for the good of her powers. He climbed onto the Harley, clamping his mouth shut tightly to keep himself from speaking his sarcastic thoughts out loud. Kitty paddled on about how the situation was similar to one she'd gone through with some guy that Remy had no interest in hearing about as she pulled the trench coat on. He started the engine while she was mid-run-on-sentence, cutting her off instantly. He had no interest in hearing her thoughts on the subject, especially when she had no idea of the magnitude of the situation.  
Thankfully, Kitty remained quite on the way home, giving Remy the chance to think of what to do next.  
There was no way he'd give up on Rogue. Not unless she flat out told him to leave and never come back. And even then, he'd have a hard time doing as he was told. He'd have to give her a few days at least. To cool down, sort through her thoughts. But he couldn't wait too long, especially not with her anti-Gambit roommate who would only be supporting her foolish decision to abandon their happy relationship.

When they reached the institute, Kitty returned his trench coat with an apologetic smile.

"I'm really sorry about all of this. I know you care about her and all, but it's better this way."  
Rather than respond, he took the trench coat back and opened the front door for her with a quiet frown. Her apology was sincere enough, that much he could tell. But he didn't care. She was wrong. It wasn't better this way at all. Not for either of them. He just had to figure out a way to make Rogue understand that.

--

Rogue sat upright in her bed the instant the door opened, swinging her legs over the side with a frown.

"Kitty, ah'm so sorry ah left you stranded at the club-"

"It's ok." Kitty held up her hand to stop Rogue. "Gambit explained. He gave me a ride home."  
Rogue nodded quietly, relaxing a little once she knew her friend wasn't upset. And that she knew that Remy was home, and not knocking on her door. She tugged the sleeves of her pajama top down into her balled up fists and closed her eyes.

"Ah wish ah didn't have t'see him t'morrow."  
Kitty shook her head absent absentmindedly as she pulled her earrings out and set them on the dresser. "It's just like that time when Kirk McDowel asked me out and I was all like, 'Oh my gosh' embarrassed... and like, I didn't want to go back to school for like, a year? Remember that?"

"Yeah Kit, it's exactly the same." Rogue scrubbed her forehead with the back of her fist irritatedly.

"And he like, was obsessed. Remember?"

"Mmhmm." Rogue answered monotonously, glancing at the front door. "Ah think ah'm gunna go have a snack. Maybe watch some TV... get mah mind t'stop... thinking."

"Kay." Kitty answered as she brushed her hair, staring at her reflection in the mirror.  
Rogue looked over to the alarm clock on her nightstand and frowned; 1:37.

"Don't wait up for me Kitty. It might take while t'get mah mind t'stop working." She grumbled as she headed out the door, closing it quietly behind her. She let out a deep breath as she started down the hall slowly, admiring the walls far to intently as she tried to clear her mind. She ended up at the rec. room with the idea that a pathetically sad romance movie might help her get to sleep. When she approached the open doorway, it was instantly apparent that she wasn't the only one with such an idea. She let out a sigh and shook her head, unwilling to sit with Jubilee at nearly 2 am for any lengthy amount of time. The girl would talk her freakin' ear off. And that would just piss her off, not help her calm down. Rogue did an about face and headed back up the hall, dragging her feet with each step she took. No matter what she did to try to distract herself, her mind always wandered back to the last place she'd want it to go. Her chest tightened and she closed her eyes in a desperate attempt to push away the sadness. Why was she so sad? Why was this so hard for her to do?!

"What the hell is wrong with me?" She groaned into the empty hallway, letting out another deep breath to ease the tightness in her heart. When she opened her eyes, she let out another groan. She'd wandered herself right to Remy's bedroom door. Freudian slip perhaps? Her fingers twitched at the thought of knocking on his door. No... she shouldn't. She couldn't lead him on any more. She'd just abandoned him after he professed his love to her not two hours ago, and yet here she was, sheepishly standing at his door, itching for one last glimpse at him.

No. She shook her head silently and balled her hands up into fists at her sides, holding them tightly against her PJ shorts. On the other hand, she did owe him somewhat of an explanation. If he was even here anymore. Panic shot through her veins at the sudden realization that he might have taken off in light of her sudden rejection. She'd never get to see him again. It was one thing to not look forward to seeing him out of awkwardness, and quite another to actually not see him again. Before she even knew what she was doing, her hand reached out and rapped quickly on the solid wooden door. The blood rushed to her face when she realized what she'd done. She should just run away, he'd never even know it was her, right? If he was even there. He probably wasn't even there. She was about to turn around and walk away when he opened the door, wearing nothing but a pair of black boxers. Sweet Lord almighty, that boy had a body on him that would make Aphrodite stop an' stare. No, no... this was a very bad idea...

"Rogue?" He raised his eyebrows, turning to grab a white t-shirt off his immaculately clean dresser. It was then that she realized she must look like a deer caught in the headlights. She blinked, noticing the look of shock on his face. Of course he would be shocked, she all but told him to go to hell earlier, and now here she was, knocking on his door... staring at him like an awe struck little girl in the middle of the night.

"Ah'm sorry t'bug you so late..." Rogue found her voice as he tugged the t-shirt on over his head. He ran a hand through his tousled hair, staring at her in that silent way that made her spine tingle and her heart race. "Remy, ah owe you an apology." she started, spurred on by the adrenaline his beautiful stare kicked up in her. "Ah'm sorry for the way ah acted tonight. It's just..." She rubbed her temple and closed her eyes. "It's complicated."

"Kitty explained it in a fairly straight-forward way..." He stepped aside to let her walk past him, turning to face her once she stood in his room. "But let's hear yo' version."

Her shoulders slumped and she looked up at him. "Ah thought ah could do it Remy. Ah thought ah could have a normal relationship." She closed her eyes again. "It was just selfish of me t'drag you down with me."

"Chère, look at me." He took a step towards her and grazed his fingertips along her temple, causing her to open her eyes. "Does it look like y'dragged Remy anywhere he didn' wanna be?" he asked with an easy smile.

"Y'shouldn't wanna be there." She scolded him with a frown. "There's no point... where do we go from here?! Nowhere! There's nowhere we can go! We just sit in second gear until one of us gets tired of the other."

"Y'mean, sit on second base?" He gave her a knowing look, his smile growing as she grew more flustered. "Is dat what it's really about?"

"No Remy. It's about the fact that you can't have a life with someone you can only touch for seven minutes at a time."

"Why not? I know plenty a'married couples dat touch even less den dat." He smirked. She squared her jaw and looked away. "Rogue, I told you how I felt. Nothin's gunna change dat." He turned her chin to look her in the eye again, the playful smirk disappearing in his intense stare. "I love you. No matter what."

Her brows pinched together as she stared back at him. "Remy..." she shook her head slowly and let out a resigned breath. "Ah love you too. But it's not enough."

His face lit up with a smile. "Sure it is. Stop thinkin' about what y'can or can't do an' start livin' in d'moment chère. Just stop thinkin' an'... be." He said gently smoothing a strand of white hair behind her ear. She relaxed a little. Hadn't that been what helped her control her powers in the first place?  
No, she'd focused on what she _could_ do, but in this case what she could do was just as depressing as what she couldn't. Live in the moment? She'd never done that before. Not with the constant need to be on guard acting as a nagging reminder of her inabilities.

"But what if-"

"What if what? Y'get hurt? I get hurt? A wise man once said dat y'miss 100% of the shots y'don't take, chère." His stare softened as he offered her a shrug. It was like his last ditch effort; a dying man pleading for his life. "What if y'back out because yo'afriad an' you miss out on d'best thing dat ever happened t'either one of us?"

"Remy LeBeau, you shoulda been a salesman..." Rogue grumbled, looking away with a frown. "So you could really live with just seven minutes?"

Remy hummed and wrapped his arms around her in a hug, his eyes closed and a smile crept across his lips. "Maybe God did it dis way on purpose. Maybe yo'like... a drug. An' you can only be consumed in small doses."

Rogue raised an eyebrow and uttered a single laugh.

He looked down at her, keeping his arms wrapped around her protectively and smiled. "Either way chère, dis Cajun's addicted."

"You're just full a'cheesy lines, ain't ya Remy?"

The smile fell from his face and he dipped his head closer to her, cupping her jaw gently and staring deeply into her eyes to the point that she couldn't look away even if she wanted to. "I'm crazy 'bout you Rogue. Y'have no idea d'things I'd do for you."

Her heart thudded in her ears as she stared back at him. It was the way he looked at her. With so much admiration and love... and desire... Her heart rate increased even more as he closed the small gap between them, his mouth meeting hers with a little more force this time. His hand smoothed the length of her jaw, tangling itself in the hair at the nape of her neck as she kissed back. A thousand thoughts flooded her mind all at once, but she didn't focus on any one of them at a time. She was far too distracted by the way his strong hand cradled her head, and the way her fingertips glided along his defined torso to find the hem of his white t-shirt. Or the way that he pulled away reluctantly, giving her just a second to pull the shirt off over his head before returning his lips to her. His bare hand moving around to her lower back, finding the small spot of flesh that peeked out where her shirt ended and shorts began. The way that he found the bed and she instinctively followed him onto it, crawling over him, never parting from him for a moment. It was all far too distracting for her to think rationally. And even if she could, this feeling of euphoria would surely win out against any argument she could hold.

She hummed against his mouth with that little purring sound that he loved before he pulled back a few inches, sitting in silence. He didn't need to talk for her to know exactly what he was thinking. He was offering her an out. Leaving the decision up to her. Giving her a chance to think before doing. She tipped her head towards him, resting her forehead against his, trying to calm her ragged breathing as her hands moved to the bottom of her shirt. She slowly slid her shirt up her body, lifting if off over her head and dropping it on the ground before she closed the small space between them again. She was enthralled in the feeling of his warm, bare flesh pressed against hers as she wrapped her arms around his neck, straddling him cautiously. The touch of his hands on naked back caused her to groan. She sucked in a short breath and whispered against his lips.

"Live in the moment Remy."

* * *

**_A/N: Ok, I was so tempted to end it with "And that she did" but I resisted the temptation... lol! I really hope you all like this chapter, I cranked it out really fast. It only took me a few hours as opposed to a few days. I re-wrote the last scene a few times too... I'm really not good with lovey dovey stuff, so I hope it turned out ok. I could have gone over it again and touched it up a few more times, but I didn't want to dwell on it. (um... yes I did. But for other reasons. LOL). Also, I had to go into it twice and re-format the damn thing because my computer froze the first time I tried to post it... arg. Stupid Windows. (thanks a lot Bill Gates.) So I hope it's not too hard to read space-wise._**

**_So imagine my surprise when I got the internets hooked up and was bombarded with beautiful reviews! You guys are so kind... really, it's the highlight of my day when I get reviews. And I was going to comment on specific reviews, but that's what I was doing when my 'pudy froze on me. So I'm not going to tempt fate and try to do it again. _**

**_Let's just say... You all rock. And it was an awesome way to be welcomed into my new home! :)_**


	10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten.

The warmth of the morning spring sun drew him from his deep sleep, leaving him in a semi-conscious state with his eyes still closed. He felt happy. That much he knew. That was one hell of a detailed dream. He reluctantly opened his eyes a crack, squinting at the sunlight that shone through his window, across the blue down comforter that covered him from the waist down, and over to her. He froze. It suddenly dawned on him that it hadn't been a dream at all at the same time that he noticed her legs tangled in with his under the covers. She lay on her stomach, her face turned away and buried in the pillow. Maybe he was dead then? Maybe Rogue had accidentally absorbed him completely and he'd just... died. But there was a glaring flaw to that logic; assuming that he was dead, and he was lying in bed with Rogue, then this would have to be heaven. He'd heard the story about the thief on the cross before, but this was pushing it. There was no way he'd be in heaven right now if he was dead. He stared at her, the blur from sleep finally almost completely gone, remembering clearly what happened. Her legs were bare, but he'd put on his pajama bottoms. And she'd put her long sleeved PJ top back on, telling him that she didn't want to kill him while they slept.

She never ceased to amaze him. He smiled as he watched the rise and fall of her back as she breathed, blissfully unaware of the control she'd had as she slept . And last night... three times. As if on cue, she stirred, rubbing her face into the pillow before turning to face him. Her eyes were still closed, but a smile slowly danced across her lips.

"Bon matin, fleur."

Her eyes flew open in a flash and she gasped, lifting her head up from the pillow as she stared at him. Her jaw dropped slightly as she stammered for something to say. "Ah... ah thought... ah was dreamin' it or somethin'..."

Remy grinned, tucking his hands behind his head with a wink. "D'you have dreams like dat often chère?"

She pulled her legs away from his as she rolled onto her back, running a hand through her hair. "Oh mah God Remy... you realize what this means?!" she sat up, pulling her bare legs up to her chest and hugging them tightly. Before he could even think of anything to say in response, she turned back to him and leaned down, hovering her over him with a smile. Her green eyes shone with excitement as she uttered a very uncharacteristic giggle.

"Ah can't believe it!" she said through her giggle "Ah did it!"

"Three times."

Her lips formed a tight smile as she snorted a laugh, giving him a playful swat. "Not _that._"

He grinned, pushing a shock of white hair behind her ear before she gave him a peck on the lips.

Remy wrapped his arms around her, rubbing his hands down the fabric covering her back. "Never thought I'd find waffle weave so sexy..."

She chuckled "Ah guess it all depends on who's wearin' it."

He playfully nuzzled his head against her neck and she laughed. "Ah better get back before Kitty gets up."

Remy reluctantly loosened his grip with a groan as he glanced at the clock beside his bed; 7:21.

She was right. She didn't have much time. He'd have to let her go.

She swung her feet over the edge of the bed and pulled her PJ shorts on quickly. "Uhh... so ah was thinkin' Remy..." she spoke as she stood up. "Maybe we should keep this between us."

"Not up for a three way?" He raised an eyebrow causing her to press her lips together, trying to fight a smile.

"Um, no. But that's not what ah was talkin' about." She sat on the bed next to him, tucking her leg underneath her as she leaned in towards him. "Ah mean... y'know, our relationship. Now that everyone thinks we're broken up- an' ah'm sure Kitty's gotten the news out by now- maybe we should just... let 'em think it."

"Y'like sneakin' around?" He smiled.

"Well yeah." She grinned back. "But that's not the reason. Ah've just had enough of everyone knowin' everything about mah business. A little bit a'mystery never hurt anyone."

Remy took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, gently brushing his thumb across the dimple in her chin and winked. "You an' I agree on dat chère."

"Good. So... just, act like ah crushed your spirit an' ah'll act like your dead t'me It'll be fun!" She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. "See yah in a few."

--

After heading back to her own room, she mussed up her bed to make it look like she'd spent the night there. Rogue hopped into the shower quickly, getting dressed and ready as fast as she could, hoping that Kitty wouldn't wake up while she was still in the room. Apparently, luck was on her side this morning. She smiled to herself as a blush broke out across her cheeks and she tugged her black shirt over her head.

Jean and Scott sat at the table eating their bacon and eggs while Kurt sat on the kitchen counter eating a bowl of cereal. Remy was leaning on the counter next to him, waiting for the coffee to brew. He turned away from her when she walked in the room. What a good actor. What a nice ass.  
"Good morning Rogue." Kurt said through a thick accent and a mouth full of cereal, drawing Rogue's attention away from Remy's... performance.  
Rogue scrunched up her nose and rolled her eyes, hoping no one would notice the blush that spread across her pale cheeks at her poor choice of mental words.

"'mornin'." She said, opening the fridge door "Ah hope y'didn't use all the milk like y'did last week…" She muttered, noticing the subtle glance between Scott and Jean. Clearly, they were having a mental conversation. How rude. And judging by the way Jean offered Rogue a sympathetic smile as she bid her good morning, glancing at Remy before looking back at her eggs awkwardly, they'd already heard about the break up.

Rogue scowled at Scott who shifted his gaze to his breakfast uncomfortably before she let the fridge door close and crossed her arms as a few other people filed into the kitchen. Jubilee instantly whispering something to Amara who looked at Rogue with the same sympathetic smile she'd received from Jean. Why was everyone taking pity on _her_ in this pretend breakup? Bobby draped his arm around her shoulders with a casual grin.

"Rogue..." He started. The usual playful tone in his voice when he did something like this was absent. Instead, he'd lowered his register a notch, as if he were concerned for her well being. "How are you?"

"Umm... fine..." She blinked at him, noticing Jubilee swat him and gesture towards Remy. She smiled. It was a good thing Remy wasn't looking at her right now, because if he had been, she would easily have broken out into laughter. They were practically walking on egg shells around them!

"Ah'm fine guys." She pulled away from Bobby and shook her head with a smile.

"Good." Bobby grinned, crossing his arms as Remy turned around, leaning against the counter with his cup of coffee in hand. "I saw you last night you know."

"...excuse me?" Rogue blinked at him.

"I saw you. While you were sleeping. I never knew you had such sexy sleeping attire... Kitty's one lucky girl."

Rogue rolled her eyes as Jamie and Roberto giggled like immature little boys. "Thanks Bobby. Ah'll be sure to pass that on t'Kitty." She mumbled. She wasn't sure who Bobby was trying to get a rise out of this time; her or Remy. Either way, it wasn't going to work.

Remy simply smirked, taking a sip of his steaming hot cup of coffee, clearly amused by the image Bobby had placed into his mind.

"Rogue!" Kitty burst into the kitchen, completely out of breath from her all-out run down the stairs to find her. "Did you take my ring?!"

Rogue furrowed her brow and shook her head. "No Kit, why would ah-"

"I was wearing it last night, and when I woke up this morning it was gone!" Kitty raked her hands through her disheveled hair and whimpered. "I totally remember wearing it last night Rogue, I had it on! I was playing with it while I was talking to-" Kitty's eyes widened as if a light switch flicked on in her brain, her eyes flicked over to Remy. "You."

Remy took another sip of coffee and gave her a nod. "Oui, I remember dat." he shrugged.

"You've had your eye on that thing since you got here." Kitty hissed, narrowing her eyes and taking a step towards him.

By now, everyone in the kitchen was silently staring at the soap opera unfolding before them. Rogue put a hand on Kitty's shoulder and shook her head. "Kitty, y'makin' a scene. Don't go blamin' people for no damn reason."

Kitty jerked away from Rogue's hand and glared at Gambit. "But it's _not_ for no reason! I pissed you off when I told you that Rogue was better off without you. I know you blame me for her dumping you. So you... what... stole my ring as revenge?! What, did it push you over the edge to hear the truth?! Were you stealing it to make some money so you could take off again?!" Kitty jabbed a finger into Remy's chest as she spoke.

"P'tite-"

"_Don't _call me that." She growled, shoving her finger into his firm chest as hard as she could. "You thief!"

Remy raised his hands innocently "Non... I wouldn' steal from you Kitty."

"But you admit that you're a thief."

"Well... yeah. I mean, I was. Dat's kind of common knowledge."

Kitty's head snapped around to glare at the boys who were snickering at Remy's response. Before she had the opportunity to continue on her rant, Logan stomped into the kitchen with a deep frown, rubbing the sleep from his eyes angrily.  
"Alright, what the hell is goin' on in here?!" He bellowed, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and turn their attention to him. He pointed at Kitty firmly. "You woke me up short stuff, it better be good."

"Oh it's 'good'." she crossed her arms as she spoke, frowning in Remy's direction. "He totally stole my ring."

Logan's brow pinched together skeptically as he glanced towards Remy. "You... caught him?"

"No, but I _know_ he did it!"

He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as Kitty's voice grew louder, and higher, with every complaint and accusation she made. Finally, Logan held up his hands to quiet her down.

"Fine kid. If it'll shut you up, I'll make him empty his pockets." Logan grunted, turning towards Remy with an eye roll. "Go on Gumbo."

Remy smiled and pulled the pockets of his jeans inside out, showing that he had nothing in them.

"See Kitty?! Are y'happy now?!" Rogue threw a hand in the air. Kitty shook her head firmly and squared her jaw.

"No! He's not gunna be carrying it on him guys... Where's your coat?"

Remy gestured towards his trench coat, hanging on the back of the chair next to Scott. Kitty didn't wait for Scott to hand it over. She stomped over to it and reefed it off the back of the chair, digging her hand into the right pocket, pulling out his deck of cards and lighter.

"C'mon kid..." Logan sighed, clearly slightly less irritated than he had been a few minutes ago. "There's nothin' there."

Kitty ignored him, flipping the coat over to search the second pocket. She pulled out a pack of cigarettes, some loose change, and a small ring with a sapphire stone in the center. Rogue's heart began to race as she watched Kitty hold the ring up for Remy to see before showing it off to the others.

"See?! I told you! He's a liar and thief."

"No!" Remy protested, taking a step towards her. "I didn' steal dat ring from you Kitty."

"Really? Then where were you last night?" Kitty crossed her arms expectantly. Remy's face fell and he shook his head.

"In my room. Readin'."

"Hah!" Kitty rolled her eyes dramatically. "I have seen your room Remy Lebeau and there is not one single book in there."

Logan growled, his eyes burning into Remy as he took a step towards him. "You better start explainin' how that ring got in yer pocket bub."

Remy held up his hands again and leaned back into the counter behind him. "I'm tellin' d'truth! I lent y'my coat last night! Coulda fallen off."

"Yeah, and like, what are the odds of that happening." Kitty frowned and crossed her arms. "You're totally better off without him Rogue."

"But I swear I didn' do it!" Remy protested as Logan began to cart him off.

"Wait!" Rogue shouted. "He couldn't have taken it!" She stared at Logan as he stopped walking and looked back at her expectantly, still holding Remy by the collar of his shirt.

"Look Stripes, the guy was caught red-handed." He grunted, turning to walk away.

"No!" She slammed her hand down on the counter causing it to crack beneath her balled up fist. She had to make them listen. She couldn't let this happen to him. "He didn't do it. Ah _know _he didn't."

Logan paused and looked back again, her sudden outburst catching his attention as planned. "An' how is that?" He asked dryly, clearly doubting weather or not she had any actual proof. Her heart beat loudly in her ears as she looked from Logan to Remy.

He shook his head slowly. "Y'don' have to chère. Don' worry 'bout-"

"Shut yer trap." Logan cut Remy off with a glare and looked back to Rogue. "How do you know he didn't?"

"Ah know he didn't because... ah..." she licked her lips and took a deep breath, trying not to notice everyones expectant eyes on her. "Ah... know because..." She swallowed hard. "Ah was with him. All night."

She could have easily lied and told them that it was an innocent mistake. That she'd fallen asleep in his room after a long talk, and that nothing really happened. But the truth was written all over her face. She heard a few subtle gasps around her as Logan tightened his grip on Remy's collar.

"You what?" He seethed, slamming the Cajun up against the wall. She knew he didn't wouldn't understand how it had happened, but the truth was she didn't either. It had just ...happened. "Yer in a whole lot more trouble now bub. Now, it's personal." he growled through clenched teeth.

Rogue's shoulders slumped. "Logan... don't-"

"I'll deal with you later!" He shouted, pushing Remy out of the kitchen and down the hall.

Rogue squared her jaw. She could still feel everyone's eyes on her, but her bubbling temper was too distracting for her to care.

"What!" She barked, glaring at Bobby who just happened to be the one standing closest to her.

"Rogue..." Kitty whispered. "I'm so sorry... I could have sworn I had it with me when I got home last night and I-"

"Really Kitty? Coulda sworn it? Because ah coulda sworn you had enough alcohol to feed a small frat house."

"I didn't-"

"Y'didn't care." Rogue crossed her arms and walked away.

--

Logan slammed the office door behind him, tossing Remy aside as he rounded the desk. He pounded on the computer keyboard in silence before Remy shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"So... what's gunna happen?" He shoved his hands in his pockets and smirked nervously. "Solitary confinement?"

"Nope. You're on probation. One strike an' yer out." Logan grunted, keeping his eyes fixed on the computer screen as he typed away.

"So... havin' sex with yo'girlfriend is considered a strike?" He raised an eyebrow, the smirk growing at the sight of Logan attempting to ignore him. "'Cause if dat's d'case, den Remy's already got three strikes..."

Logan's head snapped up and Remy's smirk remained unwaivering. "I'm jus' sayin'... if it needs t'be official, den y'wanna have all d'right information. Oui?"

Logan narrowed his eyes and growled.

"Besides, y'really think she's jus' gunna sit down an' listen t'you, Wolvie? Dere ain' no way dat girl's gunna let you kick me out without a damn hard fight."

"An' that's why, you're going to make her listen."

"Oh... I am, am I?" Remy crossed his arms with an amused grin.

Logan grinned back. "Yep." He walked around the desk, over to the printer as it finished spitting out a document, which he took and handed over to Remy. "You sure are."

Remy took the paper, his eyes scanning over it's contents, the grin slowly falling off his face. "No... y'wouldn'..."

"Would you care to wager a bet?" Logan slipped the paper out of Remy's grasp with a chuckle. "You leave quietly, an' Rogue will be none-the-wiser."

Remy frowned and looked back up at him. "She'd understand y'know. If I could explain it t'her, she'd-"

"Are you sure about that?"

There was a moment of silence between the two before a harsh knock broke it. Remy looked at the door and Logan raised an eyebrow, his self satisfied smirk still firmly fixed in place.

"Come on in Stripes." He grunted, frowning at her when she ripped the door open, nearly tearing it clear off the hinges.

"So just what are you plannin' on doin'?" She put her hands on her hips as she spoke firmly. As if she were a mother scolding her son for eating too many sweets too close to dinner.

Logan nodded towards Remy and grunted. "Three strikes an' yer out. Ain't that right Gumbo?"

"Three strikes?" Rogue took a step towards Logan, her frown deepening. "He didn't do anything wrong! That doesn't even make sense... three strikes." She glanced back at Remy, crossing her arms firmly before looking back to Logan, her cheeks tinted pink from the embarrassment of suddenly realizing what they were referring to. "So since when is screwin' a crime?"

Logan growled and looked away uncomfortably. One point for Rogue. Remy would have laughed if it wouldn't have been so incredibly inappropriate to do so.

He squared his jaw and looked at Rogue who was now staring at him. Her eyebrows knit together out of worry and she took a step towards him. "Remy, you don't have t'leave." She looked back at Logan with a frown. "You can't make him leave because a'this."

"Chère..." Remy took her hand, smoothing his thumb along her knuckles gently as he forced a calm smile. "It's ok..."

"No! No it is _absolutely_ not ok!" She ripped her hand away from him and pointed at Logan. "If you kick him out, y'better say goodbye t'me too."

"Rogue." Remy put a hand on her shoulder as he soothingly whispered her name. "Y'can't leave here. Not yet."

"An' since when are you mah keeper?!" She shouted at him. He stared at her for a moment, slightly taken back by her brash response, until he noticed her green eyes slowly beginning to brim with tears.

"I can tell I ain' wanted here. I don' work well on a team. I don' take directions from others. I'm not... X-men material." Remy said firmly, cupping her jaw with his hand. "I don' need dis place chère. But you do. Y'need t'keep learnin' how t'control your powers."

"This _place _taught me nothin'. _You_ were the one who taught me."

Remy frowned and looked up at Logan. He looked like he was enjoying this far too much.

"He don't belong here kid. He broke the rules, and now he's gotta deal with the consequences. Tough break." Logan grunted. "Don't make it any harder than it has t'be."

Rogue squared her jaw and looked up at Remy. "Fine." she breathed. She turned around and gently pulled the door open, ignoring the group that had gathered to eavesdrop. Passing by them all silently as she headed down the hall.

Logan's smirk returned and he looked over to Remy. "You best go pack your bags." He crumpled up the piece of paper and tossed it in the trash.

And Rogue would be none-the-wiser.

* * *

**_A/N: Ok, so I really had a tough time ending this chapter. I wasn't sure if I should give away the "secret" now, not that it's a huge MYSTERY... I'm sure if you really try you can figure it out. And I also didn't re-read the chapter a billion times to make sure I was pleased with it because I've recently discovered that I am far to easily distracted. I sat down to write and ended up watching 17 Again (which by the way, awesome movie. Shockingly. I really don't like Zac Effron, but he made me CRY. Ok... so I'm totally a sucker for movies like that... 13 going on 30, Back to the Future... I didn't really like BIG just because the whole sex thing with a 12 year old was really creepy. What was I talking about again? Oh right, easily distracted.) And then after that, I logged on here and ended up spending another hour reading other fan fiction instead of just finishing this damn chapter. Whatever, it's done now. :) I hope you don't all bash me for the "on again- off again" thing... it's dumb, I know... but... no there really is no but. It's just dumb. LOL!!! _**

**_One last thing!!! I am sorry that Kitty looks like a royal bitch in this chapter... you must understand, I love Kitty. But when I originally wrote the story, I wasn't so fond of her I suppose (It was like, 4 years ago) and I really didn't know how else to get the ball rolling without changing the storyline drastically. So... please don't hate. Appreciate. :)_**

**_Reviews! You guys are awesome!!!_**

**_Pennylane87: I'm glad you liked it. I did NOT intend it to be so "sexy" I just didn't want to under detail... y'know? You don't know. But who cares... it was sexy. LOL. _**

**_Demonlrd66: Haha... glad I could be of... service... (cue rimshot) :)_**

**_starlight2twilight: You hit the nail on the head! And I really enjoy writing Kitty's rambling spells, I must say. I pulled that name out of the blue too... Kirk McDowel... I think I was watching True Hollywood Story on "Growing Pains" at the time... hence the "Kirk". No idea where the last name came from. Eitherway... Kitty's funny. _**

More reviews Sil vous plait. Wow I totally have no idea if I spelled that right, it's been... 9 years since I took any French in school... and that thought to me is terrifying. I am so getting older... *scared* (Remember that thing I said about easily distracted...? wasn't lying.)


	11. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven.

It had been a month and a half since Gambit left. A month and a half? Is that right? Kitty furrowed her brow and closed her eyes as she mentally pictured the O.C. calendar that hung on her wall, counting out the weeks.  
No, yeah. It had totally been a month and a half since Gambit left. And she felt like, completely responsible. Not only did she feel like a royal ass for accusing him of swiping her ring, but if she would have just tried to calm herself down for a few seconds before sweeping into the kitchen like a chicken with its' head cut off, she would have remembered that she took the ring off and dropped it in his pocket because her fingers were feeling swollen. That happens sometimes when she drinks. It makes her body warm up and then when she's all warm, her hands swell. It's totally gross. Also, the image of a chicken with its' head cut off is pretty gross too.

Kitty let out a sigh as she watched Rogue reading her book under the shade of a tree in the early summer heat. School was done now, but while she'd still been in school, Rogue had completely immersed herself in studying after Gambit left. She'd told Kitty there really wasn't anything else to do. If Gambit was still around, Kitty supposed, he would have given her something to do. Kitty laughed out loud before clamping her mouth shut. That was inappropriate.

Back to Rogue. She'd accepted Kitty's apology, of course, but things weren't the same between them. They shared a room, but they hardly ever talked anymore. Rogue hardly ever talked to anyone at all. And she barely made an effort in D.R. sessions and on missions. It was like she just stopped caring. But at least she wasn't treating her the way she was giving Logan the cold shoulder. And when she did acknowledge the man's very existence, it was to shoot off some snide comment. Not that she blamed her.

Jean walked into Kitty's line of sight, making her way over to Rogue. A chill ran up Kitty's spine as she watched Rogue look up and give the red head a genuine smile. It was like the twilight zone or something. She'd noticed it about two weeks ago. Rogue started talking to Jean. Just Jean. Of all people, Jean. Not that Kitty was jealous or anything, she was happy that Rogue was feeling happy enough to converse with someone, even if it was Jean.

No it did kind of hurt that she picked Jean over her.

But it wasn't about her. It was about Rogue starting to feel better, and if Jean helped her do that, than so be it. After all, it was partially Kitty's fault that she'd fallen into her funk in the first place. Maybe this was Rogue's way of pay back. Kitty let out a deep sigh and shook her head as she watched the two of them talking. She'd totally screwed up the best friendship she'd ever had. Other than that one that she had when she was in Kindergarten with that Nick Marshall boy. What ever happened to him? Kitty's lower lip jutted out as she tried to remember, eventually giving up with a shrug. No, this friendship was far better than the one with that Nick kid. And she totally screwed it up.

If only there was something she could do to make it up to her.

Kitty stood up and brushed the grass off the seat of her jeans, heading back towards the institute. She'd have to think of something big so that Rogue really knew how sorry she was.

--

"Hey."

Rogue looked up from her book to see Jean offering her a smile as she shoved her hands into her pockets.

"Don't you do anything but read?"

Rogue smiled back and rolled her eyes. "No."

"You mind if I sit?"

Rogue shrugged. "No."

Jean sat down in the sunlight, sprawling her bare legs out in the grass and tipping her face up to the sun.

"Still haven't had any luck?" Rogue squinted at Jean, hopeful that the answer wouldn't be what she knew it'd be.

Jean looked at Rogue and frowned. "No. I'm sorry... I wish I were better at tracking people down Rogue."

"Ah know." Rogue gave a solemn nod, setting her book down in the grass next to her and scooping her knees up against her chest.

"I'm sure he's okay." Jean hesitated, pursing her lips for a moment before exhaling deeply. "If you did know where he was, would you go after him?"

Rogue tipped her head to the side before lifting a shoulder listlessly. "Ah don't know. Ah mean, if he wanted me with him, he'd have taken me with him. Right?"

Jean bit her lip. "Yeah, but... he told you he wanted you to stay for your own good? Right? Not because he didn't want you."

Rogue smiled softly and nodded. "Thanks Jean."

"For what?"

"For tellin' me what ah wanna hear."

Jean smiled in response and uttered a small laugh "You don't have to be telepathic to know that, just a woman." she patted Rogue's bare arm quickly before giving her head a shake. "I remember this time Scott and I were..."

Rogue suddenly zoned out, struck with an overwhelming sensation that she was trapped underwater and squeezed her eyes shut. All of the sounds around her suddenly seemed muffled to the point that she had to strain to hear them at all. But it wasn't silent. No, she could hear a pulsing sound.

_Thump thump...thump thump... thump thump._

"_Rogue!"_ It was muffled but she could hear it well enough to cause her to open her eyes.

Jean furrowed her brow. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Rogue put a hand to her head. "Ah think ah just zoned out or somethin'."

Jean tipped her head to the side and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I get the picture." She smiled and shook her head. "No more of my stupid stories. Promise."

Rogue laughed, despite the nagging feeling at the back of her mind that something wasn't quite right. That had been the third time she'd 'zoned out' in the past week. And it only seemed to happen when she was thinking about Remy. Which only intensified her desire to find him and make sure he was okay. And she hadn't told anyone, but recently she'd started noticing she was having a hard time controlling her power. Jean had touched her bare skin more than once in the past few weeks due to the skimpy summer attire they both wore; maybe she'd absorbed some of Jeans ability and was somehow connected to Remy. Maybe he really was in trouble.

Or maybe it had nothing to do with any of that and she just needed to get more sleep.

"So listen. I promise I'll keep trying to track Gambit down. But you have to promise me you'll get out once in a while. Maybe we could go see a movie together sometime? Take Kitty with us?"

Rogue's smile grew stale and she nodded mindlessly. "Uh... yeah, we'll see! Ah just..."

"I know." Jean nodded. "It's important to you to find him. I'm just trying to help get your mind off of it..." She picked out a few blades of grass as she spoke, smoothing them between her thumb and forefinger before tossing them into the wind. "Are you worried about him? You don't think he's in any kind of trouble... do you?"

"Ah don't know." Rogue watched the grass blow away in the soft summer breeze and shot out a breath, her brow twisting together. "It all happened so fast. He had no problem with leavin'... after... everything he told me." She felt the familiar tightness in her chest that she got whenever she remembered how easy it was for him to leave her. He said he'd do anything for her. He made her feel like she was the only person in the world that mattered to him and then without even batting an eyelash, he decides to leave. The entire situation just made her feel so... used.

Jean sucked in her lower lip as she grazed the tips of the grass with the palm of her hand. "Does he tell you anything? I when he calls?"

Rogue could hear the hesitation in her voice. She looked up at the red head, whose eyes were still fixed on the blades of grass beneath her moving hand, clearly reluctant to make eye contact.

"No." Rogue yanked out a fistful of grass, tossing it into the wind with a frown. He'd only called a handful of times, and the conversations were always kept short. As soon as she tried to find out any information about him, or where he was, or why he'd left, he would instantly change the subject. Or just flat out end the conversation. It got to the point that she didn't even bother trying anymore. Their conversations consisted of idle prattle about not much of anything at all.

"Did you zone out again?" Jean asked with a soft smile. If anyone else had said it, Rogue would have given them an icy glare and spat back some snotty retort. But there was nothing but genuine concern behind Jean's words. So instead, Rogue forced a smile in return. Before she had the opportunity to think of a pleasant response, Kitty bounded over to them stopping tentatively a few feet back.

"Hey." She tucked a hair behind her ear and offered the two girls a smile. "So... Logan told me to come and remind you guys about the Danger Room session that starts in a few minutes."

Rogue looked up at Kitty and tipped her head to the side. "What's the matter, his legs painted on? Tell him t'get up off his ass an' come _remind_ us himself."

Kitty looked at Jean uncomfortably.

"We're on our way." Jean smiled.

"The dumbass didn' even have t'get up... he coulda sent a message telepathically t'Jean. He just wants t'make sure everyone remembers who's in charge." Rogue muttered as she stood and passed by Kitty. "Sends one of his little minions t'do all his bidding."

Kitty crossed her arms indignantly and shook her head. "I am _not_ one of his little minions."

"No?" Rogue looked back at Kitty over her shoulder. "Who's he get t'clean all the junk off the computer that he doesn't even understand how t'use?"

Kitty scoffed and rolled her eyes. "That is 'workplace experience' Rogue. I volunteer to do that."

Rogue's eyebrows perked up and she smiled silently, turning around to head towards the building.

"What do you mean by that?!" Kitty called after her. "What does she mean by that?!" she turned to Jean and repeated her question with a frown.

Jean bit her lip and shrugged. "I think she means... 'exactly'."

--

Logan watched as the three young women filed into the room, giving the clock an obvious glance before uttering a growl.

"Now that we're all here, we can start." He grunted. He could tell she was holding back the urge to make some snide comment back to him, but before she had a chance to let one slip out, Hank cleared his throat.

"I suppose you are all wondering why I am not in my uniformed attire along with the rest of you." He began with a smile. "Well, today we're going to be testing out a new program Kitty and I put together."

"Lemme guess. Workplace experience?" Rogue grumbled, causing Kitty to shoot her a glare.

"Now it's just in it's beginning stages." Hank continued with a smile "And I'm sure there will be a few kinks here and there, maybe an opponent or two with a missing appendage."

The group chuckled as Hank perched his glasses on his nose. "But you'll get the basic idea. Now, the computer will randomly generate teams of 3 for everyone based on experience, ability, etcetera. The simulation will run with one team at a time, with a total of 30 opponents of a somewhat equal combined experience to said team. The objective is to take down all 30 opponents in the given amount of time."

Bobby raised his hand. "So... what if they're missing their heads? How could we kick them in the head if they don't have one?"

The group tittered and Logan rolled his eyes. Let's just get this shit over with already. He moved over to the computer and hit the 'enter' key, triggering the system to begin it's random team selection. The first team was announced as Jamie, Bobby and Scott. Logan leaned against the wall as the three made their way down to the fight floor. They needed to make this stupid simulation able to accommodate more than just three members at a time. This was bound to take all afternoon.

He let out a frustrated sigh when the fight began, his eyes wandering over to Rogue who was staring out the observation window along with the rest. He'd wanted to try to talk to her so many times, but he wouldn't even know how to begin. How would he go about saying 'yer better off without him' without pissing her off even more? He crossed his arms and turned back to the fight going on below them. There was no way around it. Maybe she'd be pissed at him as long as she lived, that was just something he'd have to deal with. As long as she wasn't with _him_. He growled instinctively, tightening his jaw at the very thought of the smart mouthed Cajun jerk.

After a few more minutes, the three returned from their session with a look of defeat. They must not have won.

"I told you to break left! Left!" Scott snapped at Bobby.

"I did break left!"

"Your left! Not my left! My left would be your right!"

"How would I know that you meant my left?"

"Because if I had meant _my_ left I would have said right!"

Jean put a hand on Scott's shoulder, causing him to clamp his mouth shut and resort to pouting.

"Well... better luck next time." Hank shrugged. "Anyways, our next team." He looked over to Logan who willingly hit the 'enter' key.

He let out a barely audible sigh of relief when the computer announced his name. He'd be able to leave once he was finished. When Kitty was revealed as his first partner, he reached up and massaged his temple. As long as she didn't yap his ear off, he'd be fine.

When it announced Rogue as their final teammate, the entire room fell dead silent.

He looked up at Kitty who was staring at him wide eyed before he rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat. "Maybe we should try that again.'

"What's the matter?" Rogue crossed her arms with a smirk. "Don't trust me?"

Hank held up his hand to stop Logan. "No, no. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I think that we all need to be able to work as a team through any differences we may have. It's imperative that we leave our feelings at the door."

He saw Rogue's smirk grow into a smile. It was the first time he'd witnessed her smile in months. Too bad it was because she was imagining all the ways she could mutilate him in their given time frame.

--

Without another word, the three made their way down to the Danger Room where they silently began waiting for the simulation to begin.

Kitty cleared her throat "So, you'll want to watch for the small guys. They're fast and have pretty good weapons, but they're like, pretty weak."

Rogue nodded as she adjusted her glove. "Anything else?"

"The big guys... those are the ones that might show up without heads." Kitty smiled sheepishly. "But they're fairly easy to take down. The only thing about them is that they're freakishly strong."

"I can handle them. You kids cover my back, and keep your eyes open." Logan grunted.

"Don't act like we need your help." Rogue put a hand on her hip. "You just worry about yourself. Kitty an' ah will manage just fine without you."

Kitty opened her mouth to protest only to be silenced by a glare from Rogue.

"Suit yourself kid."

The house lights dimmed, giving them the illusion that they were in a deserted ally way in the back streets of New York.

"Nice touch." Rogue crouched into her defensive position with a nod of approval and Kitty grinned. The first group of opponents appeared from around the corner; three small guys.

Kitty let a round of ammo phase through her, grabbing onto Rogue's arm just to be safe. The sound of bullets pinging off an adamantium skeleton echoed in the small ally way as the three opponents strategically made their way towards them.

"Alright, fun's over." Rogue rolled her eyes. She reached out, grabbing the muzzle of the gun of the man closest to her and pointed it upwards, sending his next few shots directly through his skull. Logan sliced through the other two opponents like a warm steak knife cutting into a stick of butter.

Before they had a chance to breathe, another group of opponents curled around the corner behind them. Five this time. Three small guys, two big ones.

Kitty was the first to leap into action. She sprang towards the group of men, letting their ammunition phase through her. When she reached them, she grabbed one of the smaller men, smacking his head against the wall with her elbow and phasing his gun halfway into the brick. Rogue sped up behind her, snatching another opponent away before he had a chance to attack Kitty. She bent the muzzle of his rifle downwards, rendering it useless. He attacked her with a few punches that she easily dodged, earning her the attention of the other small guy present. He aimed his weapon at her and began to fire, hitting his teammate in the process. Rogue hopped into the air and flew over him, landing behind him before he could realize what was going on. She placed her hands on either side of his head and jerked his skull violently to the left, snapping his virtual neck. Logan was battling the first of the big guys, leaving the second one free to smack Rogue away like she was nothing but a piece of lint in his way. She hit the wall with a crunch, leaving a dent in the crumbling brick structure.

"Are you okay?!" Kitty gasped, hurrying over to Rogue's side to help her up.

"Of course." Rogue grumbled, dusting the rubble off her uniform. They watched Logan slice the head off the first big guy, his body dropping to the ground like sac of potatoes.

"Well, at least he _had_ a head." Kitty shrugged, staring at the generated head lying on the pavement.

"Shit!" Rogue shoved Kitty out of the way as the second big guy, swiped at the two again, leaving Rogue in the line of fire. This time, she blocked his hit with her shoulder. The force of his impact causing her feet to dig into the concrete and scrape a few inches as she pushed against his punch.

"You two, go take the next bunch! I got this guy." Logan growled.

"Ah think-" Rogue leaped into the air, dodging another swing from the big guy. "Ah can handle it!" she hollered, kicking big guy in the chin. He stumbled back, only slightly deterred by her response, taking a few firm steps back towards her.

He reached up and snatched her leg before she could sweep away, and pulled her down towards him. And then he froze, his grip on Rogue's ankle loosening before he fell to his knees and collapsed onto his stomach. Logan was standing on his back, his fist up against the fallen big guy's head. He pulled his claws out of his skull and let them retract.

"Yer welcome."

Rogue blinked at him, her jaw dropping open. "Excuse me?"

"I told you t'start takin' care of the next group." Logan growled. "You didn't listen."

"An' ah told you ah could handle it!" She shouted.

"But you couldn't. You coulda got yerself hurt."

Rogue lunged at Logan, her green eyes burning with anger as she grabbed the collar of his uniform and slammed him against the wall.

"Ah wouldn't be so god damned worried about me." She hissed.

"Uh, guys..." Kitty squeaked "I could use some help over here!"

"C'mon Stripes. I don't wanna haveta hurt you."

Rogue slammed his head up against the wall a few times before lifting him over her head and tossing him back onto the concrete.

"Abort or something Hank!!" Kitty hollered "They're killing each other!"

Rogue's eyes were focused on Logan, an insane look flashing across them as she took another step towards him. The houselights came on and Kitty hurried over to Logan, helping him sit up.

"Rogue! Stop!" She held up her hand as Rogue took another step towards them.

Suddenly she looked away and closed her eyes. A gloved hand moving up to her forehead instinctively at the pulsing sound that caused all the other sounds around it to melt away. Again... like she was trapped under water and all she could hear was the sound of her own heart beating rapidly.

_Thump thump, thump thump, thump thump._

"_Looks like she was the one doing the killing." _She heard a guy say, his voice muffled and distorted to the point that she couldn't recognize who it was.

_Thump thump, thump thump, thump thump._

"_Come on, Logan's fine. If there's anyone that can get away living after an attack from Rogue, it's him."_ Another male voice, deeper than the first.

"_I wouldn't mind getting the chance to_ kick the crap out of him." Rogue opened her eyes and let out a breath when her hearing returned to normal. The first guy talking was Jamie.

"Yeah, join the club, right?" Bobby chuckled, glancing over to Rogue before giving her a frown. "Are you alright?"

"Ah'm fine." She snapped, jerking her arm away from him as he reached out for her.

"Are you sure? You look paler than usual."

"Ah said ah'm fine!" She growled at him, giving him a quick shove to keep him away from her. She looked over to Logan who was rubbing his head with Jean kneeling next to him. She looked up at Rogue, the concern written all over her face.

"Just... leave me alone." She turned around and stormed off.

* * *

**_A/N: So... sorry for the delayed update. I was having a difficult time deciding what exactly to reveal in this chapter... and also where exactly I should take the story. Anyways, it's an alright chapter, I'm not thrilled with it, but I figured it was good enough. :) Thanks for all of your reviews, I really appreciate them... but there were a few I had to respond to in particular. :)_**

starlight2twilight: haha... love hath no fury indeed. And look what she did to him BEFORE she knew about the bribe... lol!!

pennylane87: Yes, that was my favorite line in the chapter as well. I wrote it and was like "BURN!" Because I'm sick of seeing Remy act all sheepish around Logan. We all know he's got an attitude problem AND an issue with authority...

Ondjage: LOL!

**_Keep the reviews coming! (I PASSED 100!!! WOO!)_**

**_~KC_**


	12. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve.

Kitty and Jean came to a stop at the locked bedroom door, a frown gracing both of their faces simultaneously at the sound of the pulsing music from inside the room. Kitty let out a groan as she looked up at Jean.

"She broke out the Nine Inch Nails... that's not a good sign."  
"Rogue?" Jean called as she knocked on the door. "Can we come in?"

They waited for a response, getting nothing but the muffled tune to a very angry sounding song. Kitty let out an irritated breath.

"I'm only knocking as a courtesy Rogue." She knocked loudly as she spoke. "You know I can just walk right through this door." She continued knocking as she waited for an answer. "Or I could just stand here all day knocking on my own bedroom door. I don't have anything better to be doing you know. All of my minion duties for the day are all finished... so I'm totally free..."

The door swung open and Kitty let her hand drop to her side with a smile. "Hey!"

Rogue rolled her eyes and looked over to Jean. "Ah don't want to talk about it."

Jean pressed her lips together tightly and looked to Kitty. "Professor Xavier wants to speak with you about it Rogue."

"Ah said ah don't want to-"

"But I asked him if instead you could talk to us." Jean cut her off mid-argument. "You can't go around attacking people and then just expect that everyone's going to pretend it never happened."

Rogue crossed her arms and squared her jaw. "You're right. Ah'm sorry, it won't happen again." Her eyebrows perked up and she let out a breath. "There, are we done?"

Jean frowned, staring back at her silently causing Rogue to drop her gaze to the floor. "Look, ah don't know what happened. Ah freaked."

Kitty snorted. "Understatement of the century..."

Rogue turned around and moved over to her stereo, flicking it off with a frown. "Ah'm so sick of the way he treats me. Ah can't..."

"The way Logan treats you?" Jean's brow pinched together as she and Kitty stepped into the room, closing the door behind them. "What are you talking about Rogue? He... practically adores you."

Kitty crossed her arms "I'm sensing some jealousy there Jean." she muttered.

"He treats me like ah'm some kind of china doll. Monitoring mah every move an' makin' sure everyone around me handles me with care." Rogue struggled to keep her voice down as she paced around her room. "An' ah _know_ Logan had more t'do with Remy leavin' than he's lettin' on. Ah know it."

"What if he didn't?" Jean sat down on the edge of Rogue's bed, taking her arm gently to stop her from pacing. "What if it was Remy who was handling you with care, so to speak? If it really was Remy's decision to leave, would you still be so angry?"

Rogue sucked in a deep breath and shook her head. "Well if that's the case, then ah'd be angry for a whole different host a'reasons."

Jean knit her brow released Rogue's arm. "Because that would mean he was just using you all along."

Kitty's brows jerked upwards as she looked between the two silent women. If _she'd_ been the one who said that, Rogue would have laid into her like there was no tomorrow. How the hell did Jean get Rogue to open up so easily?! If she didn't know Jean better, she'd have assumed she was using her powers.

Kitty watched Rogue's shoulders slump as she turned to look out the window.

"Not to play devil's advocate or anything..." Jean started with a shrug.

"Oh my gosh I love that movie." Kitty gasped, clamping her mouth shut after receiving the glare from Rogue.

"Anyways," Jean shook her head and continued. "I just think that maybe... you went too far."

"Ah am not apologizing." Rogue said firmly. "He was just beggin' for it... actin' like ah'm some damsel in distress..."

"Well, I kinda was a damsel in distress and you guys both left me hanging." Kitty grumbled, crossing her arms with a frown.

Rogue ran a hand through her hair and closed her eyes. "Look, ah have a lot on mah mind right now... the least of which is Logan's feelin's." She moved over to her dresser and snatched a bottle of aspirin, struggling with the child safety lid as she spoke. "Ah've had this damn headache for two damn weeks now, an' Logan sure as hell doesn't help _that_ particular issue any." She let out a frustrated grunt. "Why the hell do they make these so goddamned hard to open?!" She chucked the bottle across the room, causing it to smash against the wall and explode open as if it was one of Jubliee's fireworks.

Rogue closed her eyes again and massaged her temples in an attempt to sooth her nerves. "Please guys... just leave me alone. Please."

Jean looked as if she was going to voice her opinions on the matter, but instead she pressed her mouth into a thin line and nodded.

Kitty followed the tall red head out of her room and frowned when Rogue closed the door behind them.

"How is it that I keep getting kicked out of my own room?"

--

Rogue looked at the clock on Kitty's bedside table and let out a sigh. It was now 8:30. She missed dinner, which definitely wouldn't help her headache go away any sooner. But, she'd gladly take the headache over having to face everyone and listen to their constant prattle. Even if they were

But now her stomach was growling, and she just couldn't put it off any longer. Hopefully enough people would have gone off in their own directions that she wouldn't bump into anybody.

She poked her head out of the doorway cautiously, only stepping out after she was certain there was no one there. With a heavy sigh she started down the hallway. She hadn't allowed herself to dwell on what Jean had said, but it was getting more and more difficult to do with each passing minute. What _if_ she was right? What if Remy had had his fun and had just moved on. Like she was nothing more than some... prize to be won. Or stolen.

She squared her jaw and shook the thought out of her head as she headed down the stairs. He wasn't like that. Not with her. Right? It didn't even matter anymore really, he was gone. No sense in dwelling on the past. She had to stay strong. Never let them see you cry. Keep your chin up. She let out a few slow breaths to try to slow her racing heart. As she rounded the corner to the kitchen, her final slow breath became a snort.

"Son of a bitch." she grumbled.

"Nice t'see you too Stripes." Logan smirked. "Hungry?"

"Ah think ah just lost mah appetite."

"C'mon. No hard feelings." He pulled the chair next to him out and patted the seat. "Jeanie cooked tonight."

Rogue's eyes flicked down to the white pizza box sitting on the table in front of him and she fought the urge to smirk.

"Cold pizza. Yer favorite, right?" He grabbed a piece and bit into it with a smile.

Rogue frowned and snatched a piece of pizza from the open box, sitting down in the seat across from him. "Just... can the small talk. Alright?"

Logan shrugged as he took another bite of pizza, keeping his eyes on her.

"So you come down here to apologize?"

"No, ah came down here to eat. An' as far as ah see it, ah got no reason to apologize."

Logan shook his head slowly "Kid, you got a lot to learn-"

Rogue threw her slice of pizza down in the box and narrowed her eyes at him. "Ah think you're the one who's got a lot t'learn. When t'keep your ever lovin' mouth shut for one."

"Don't you talk t'me like that." He growled.

"Or you'll what?" her eyebrows perked up and she sat back, crossing her arms firmly. "Send me away like y'did Remy?"

Logan let out a gravely breath and shook his head. "I told you, he made that decision on his own."

"An' ah don't believe you." She hissed. "Ah am not as stupid an naive as y'all seem t'think ah am. An' whatever you're hidin' Logan, ah swear t'God ah'll find out."

He frowned, keeping his eyes fixed on hers. "Yer better off without him Rogue."

She could feel her heart rate begin to pick up. "Ah'm better off?" her breathing became heavy as she struggled to keep from lunging across the table and throttling him on the spot.

"Ah'm better off without him." she repeated, blood boiling, heart pounding in her ears, her hands balled up into fists so tight that her nails painfully dug into her palms.

"How _dare _you presume t'know what ah am better off without." she narrowed her eyes, leaning in towards him from across the table, spitting out each word with a venomous sting. She tried to take a breath to calm herself, but the feeling of her heart throbbing rapidly against her chest was too prominent for her to calm down.

"Ah don't even..." She started, taking a deep, ragged breath. She shook her head and looked away. "Ah can't..." she squeezed her eyes shut as the sounds around her morphed into a steady buzz in her ears. She grabbed her chest, slamming her other fist down on the table to support her weight.

"Ah can't... breathe..." _Thump thump, thump thump, thump thump._

_"Rogue? Can y'hear me kid?!"_She could feel Logan's hand on her arm and she instinctively jerked away as she desperately gasped for breath.

__

Thump thump, thump thump, thump thump.

_"Somebody get some help!"_ Even through the distortion, she could recognize his familiar bark. She could hear more people around now, but his voice was the only one she could pick out.

And his voice was the thing she heard before she blacked out.

* * *

**_A/N: It's so short! (That's what she said) Yes, that _is_ what she said. But it is also what I said. And I am a she.  
What?  
_****_Anyways, I apologize for this chapter being so short, it's not quite up to my usual standards but I got distracted again. This time by Wolverine (X-men Origins) and Star Trek. And I'm not a Trekkie, but it was a good movie! So was Wolverine. Right, so I sacrificed a little writing time to watch two very must see movies.  
_**_**Well worth it as far as I'm concerned.**_

**And I could have kept writing, but this just seemed like such a good place to leave it off, doncha think? :)**

**_Please review! I love your reviews... you guys are so awesome to me, really. And I loved hearing all of your theories on what's wrong with Rogue, I really did. I wanted to go more into that in this chapter, but again... distracted... so it'll have to wait. _**

**_Starlight2twilight... I totally love writing Kitty jabber. I don't know why I find it so fun but I do. Maybe it's because that's how I actually think, I don't really know. So I'm considering your suggestion. lol (Swollen fingers... I thought of that right on the spot to eh? lol...sigh.)_**

**_Also, I think Pennylane87 mentioned the "you look paler than usual" line in her review, which reminded me that that line is actually from the Matrix... a friend of mine and I say it to eachother all the time because we're actually so pale that our skin is transparent, it's sad really. But that line makes me chuckle every time. So I just had to throw it in there. :) And the line "Some prize to be won" in this one... is from Aladdin. hahahaha... I'm a dork. _**

**_Umm... the A/N section is like, half the length of the actual chapter. That's stupid. I apologize for that._**

**_THANK Y'KINDLY!_  
_~KC_**


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Kitty paced outside the med bay doors, chewing the nail of her left thumb anxiously as she waited for word on Rogue. This was _so_ not like her. Something totally had to be wrong.

"Kitty." Kurt grabbed her arm to stop her from pacing. "You're making me dizzy."

"I don't see why Logan gets to be in there and I have to wait out here like some kind of animal." she threw her hand up as she spoke, jerking her arm away from Kurt's hold. "No offense."

"None taken." He looked over to Jean and rolled his eyes, causing her to smile.

Kitty continued pacing. "What's taking them so long anyway?"

"She's not awake yet." Jean answered calmly. Kitty looked at her watch and shook her head. It had been over an hour since Rogue passed out. Maybe she was like, in a coma or something. Maybe she'd wake up with amnesia!

"No." Jean shook her head gently and smiled. "She's just resting Kitty. Dr McCoy and Professor X are running some tests on her. There's no need to get all worked up."

"I have to go in there." Kitty looked at the doors anxiously and shook her head. "What if she wakes up like, right now? Do we really want the first person she sees to be Logan? She might try to kill him or something."

"She's got a point." Kurt smiled.

Jean shook her head and turned her attention back to the floor in front of her, chewing the corner of her lip silently as she tried to hide her own nervousness. "No, it'll be fine." She answered eventually. She was totally just trying to reassure herself.

Before Kitty had a chance to ask another slew of questions, her pocket vibrated; Rogue's cell phone. She furrowed her brow and dug her hand in to pull out the cell, holding it up to look at the display.

"Oh my God!" She hit the talk button and held the small device up to her ear. "Remy!"

--

Remy squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose when he heard the shrill call of his name on the other end.

"Kitty? Is Rogue there?"

"_Oh my God! Remy!_"

He uttered a sigh that he was sure Kitty would have been able to hear. "Yes Kitty."

"_Rogue! Oh my God!_"

"Kitty, have y' ever thought about investin' in a word o' th' day calendar... or a dictionary..." He could hear the sound of her footsteps in the background echoing off the walls. Hopefully she was going to get Rogue...

"_No, listen... so like... okay, Rogue and Logan got into a huge ass fight-_"

"What kinda fight?"

"_No! Listen! So we were in the Danger Room right? And they get into this big fight. Rogue was literally trying to like, kill him or whatever. So afterwards Jean and I go talk to her, and she complains about some weird headache, right? So then after that, she goes down to get some food or whatever? She and Logan are talking and stuff and she totally passes out!"_

Remy knit his brow as he rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand. "'Cause she was hungry? I don't-"_"_

_"No! We don't know why, she just passed out! She said she couldn't breathe, and then she collapsed. And Jean says that she mentioned something about her zoning out or something..."_

He sat up a little straighter and shook his head. _"Is she alright?"_

Kitty let out a breath. _"I don't know."_

"I'm comin' back Kitty. I'm on my way right now." He started to shove his clothes back into his duffle bag as he spoke, holding the phone between his ear and shoulder carefully.

_"She's been acting really weird for like... a few weeks at least. Constant headache, moody as I'll-get-out, passing out? I mean, I'm her roommate so I totally know that she hasn't been getting sick every morning... but I swear to God, if I didn't know any better..."_

Remy stopped packing and took the phone into his hand again, switching ears as he frowned. "...If y'didn't know any better... what?"

He heard her let out a deep breath and imagined she was probably shaking her head. _"Nothing. Just... hurry back. Okay?"_

"Leavin' right now." He continued packing his bag as quickly as he could with one hand.

_"How long will you be? Where are you anyways?"_

"Won't be dere right away, but I'll get dere soon as I can. Jus' don't tell anyone dat I'm comin', alright? Not even Rogue. Don' have time to explain."

_"Why? I'm sure she'd-"_

"Dere are certain people dat don' wan' me around dere right now."

_"Logan?"_

Remy rubbed his palm over his face and grumbled to himself. "I don't have time to explain." He annunciated each word carefully to get his point across, hanging up the phone before she had a chance to respond. He felt slightly guilty for treating Kitty like that, but his momentary feeling of guilt was quickly erased when he remembered that it was her fault he had to take off in the first place.

Well, partially her fault. Mostly his own.

He tossed his phone into the duffle bag and zipped it up as fast as he could. If only he'd just been honest with Rogue from the start...

Who was he kidding. If he'd told her the truth, she would have wanted nothing to do with him. And maybe she was better off. But he had to go back and make sure she was okay. He had to go back and see her one last time, before she knew the truth.

Because once she found out... he was a dead man.

_--_

Rogue tried to open her eyes, but the throbbing sensation radiating from her brain made that simple task near impossible. She groaned, her bare hand finding her face as she tried once again to open her eyes. This time, she managed. She even managed to push herself into a sitting position before another wave of sharp stabbing pains broke out behind her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut and dropped her head into her hands.

"Am ah in the med bay?" she whispered, afraid that anything above this hushed tone would make her head explode. "What happened?"

"Thought maybe you could tell me." Logan's voice rumbled, causing Rogue to shudder and shake her head gently. Well, her head didn't explode, so that was a good sign.

"Ah don't... what do you mean?" She winced as she looked up at him.

"We were havin' a nice conversation an' you passed out." He adjusted in his seat, the lights from the monitors that were buzzing as they kept track of her status illuminated his face. He didn't look angry. He sounded angry, but he didn't look it.

"Oh crap..." Rogue groaned. "Ah passed out?"

He chuckled. "Yep."

"Oh mah God... that's so embarassin'...." She flopped back down on her pillow starting up a fresh wave of throbs through her head. She tipped her head to the side to look at him and frowned. "An' what are you doin' here? Was ah not sleepin' properly by your standards?"

He shifted in his chair slightly. Even in the dim light of the room, she could tell he was uncomfortable. "C'mon Stripes... don't do this."

"Do what? Ah'm not doin' anything, just pointin' out the obvious" She said with a nonchalant shrug. "Or maybe you were just waitin' for me t'wake up t'give me some more of your valuable life lessons, is that it?"

"No." He grunted. "I just... didn't want you to wake up alone."

That took the wind out of her sails. He was just trying to be nice and she verbally castrated him. He cleared his throat and she closed her eyes and turned her head away.

"Just get some rest. Hank and Chuck can will talk to you in the mornin'. Alright?"

She nodded silently, slapping her hand to her head to massage her temples.

Logan got up to leave, moving over to the door as quietly as he could.

"Thanks." She said, keeping her eyes closed so she didn't have to try to read his expression in the dim room. He simply nodded as he twisted the doorknob, closing the door quietly behind him.

Nice one Rogue. What's next, you wanna go out and find some puppies to kill? I bet they'd make a nice fur coat.

Rogue groaned and rolled over onto her side, squeezing her eyes shut even tighter.

There was no way she'd be getting much more sleep tonight.

--

"Ah good you're up, I trust you slept well." Dr. McCoy smiled as he gracefully stepped in through the door.

She shrugged, sitting up in her bed with a few pillows propped up behind her back, her hands folded on her lap. "As well as to be expected ah guess."

Hank simply smiled, turning his attention to the clipboard at the foot of her bed.

"Oh my gosh!" Kitty swept into the room, squeezing past Logan, hurrying over to Rogue's side to give her a hug. "I'm so happy you're okay!"

"So y'all gunna tell me what's goin' on?" Rogue patted Kitty's arm with a forced smile as she waited for Hank to answer.

"Well, it appears that you've been having some anxiety attacks Rogue." He looked up from the clip board, his smile still fixed on his lips as he gave her a wink. "But I'm sure you figured that out by now."

Logan furrowed his brow. "What do y'mean by that?"

"Carol." Rogue looked down at her hands and shrugged. "Carol used t'get 'em all the time when she was alive."

Kitty frowned. "Wait. I don't understand. Why now all of a sudden is it starting to happen?"

"Well, between the stress of gaining control of her powers, school... and... etcetera..." Hank cleared his throat uncomfortably. "She's having difficulty separating her own psyche from that of Carol."

"He means that ah don't give a shit anymore an' ah'm not tryin' hard enough t'separate mah own psyche from that of Carol." Rogue looked up at Kitty and offered her a flat smile. "Right Hank?"

"Yes, that about sums it up."

"She hasn't been volunteering at the daycare anymore. Could that affect it?" Kitty looked up at the doctor when Rogue shot her a glare.

"Yes, it absolutely could. In fact, Professor Xavier suggested you find something you enjoy doing specifically to avoid such a predicament. Have you been doing anything in place of the daycare visits?" Hank stroked his chin, tucking the clipboard underneath his arm.

"No."

"Hmm... I see..."

Rogue looked down at her hands and shrugged. "Look, it's nothin' Dr. McCoy."

"Rogue, it's quite the opposite of nothing. It's very much something. If you would have informed the Professor and myself that you were having these episodes immediately instead of letting it get this far, we would have been able to help you, and this never would have happened."

"Ah know." She muttered.

"So what does she gotta do t'get... normal?" Logan shrugged, crossing his arms firmly across his chest.

"Well, aside from finding a hobby that she enjoys, I would say she's to stop using her powers all together. No flying, no fighting, no danger room, nothing." Hank looked up at Rogue and nodded as he spoke. "It's the quickest way to keep Carol out of the forefront of her psyche. Now I'm sure that Professor Xavier will want to meet with you, perhaps assist you in putting up some stronger mental walls, but that's for him to decide."

"So... what if fighting in the danger room is a hobby ah enjoy...?" Rogue stuck out her lower lip causing Dr. McCoy to crack a smile.

"Try taking up kite flying instead. Or stamp collecting perhaps." He chuckled.

"Wait. So like, that's it?" Kitty looked between the two with a frown. "Like... she's just having anxiety attacks? That's it."

Hank raised a furry eyebrow and glanced at Rogue "Yes... I'm... not sure what you-"

"I mean, I just thought like, it would be something a bit more dramatic."

"Geeze Kitty, what did y'think, ah was pregnant?"

Logan groaned and rubbed his forehead. "C'mon Hank. Is this done?"

Dr. McCoy chuckled again and nodded. "Yes, Rogue you're free to go. I want you to spend the next few nights down here, just to monitor your vitals." He held up his hand to stop her from objecting. "And Charles would like to see you."

Rogue rolled her eyes before watching the three leave, closing the door behind them. She wouldn't be able to act dumb around Xavier. He'd be able to see her pain the instant she let him in her mind. She squared her jaw, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. It wasn't as if she didn't trust the Professor, in fact she trusted him with her life. But she hated the idea of someone taking pity on her. Feeling sorry for her.

She pushed herself out of the bed and slipped her shoes on before heading out the door. She walked slower than usual, taking her sweet time through the halls of the sub basement, wandering around the long route once she was on the main floor, until she eventually wound up at Xavier's office. She lifted her fist to knock when his voice muffled by the door reached her ears.

"Come in Rogue."

She dropped her hand to the doorknob and pushed the door open, stepping in his office silently and closing the door behind her. She stood at the door, her hands folded behind her back and her chin lifted confidently.

"You wanted t'see me Professor?"

He smiled gently, waving her over to the big arm chair that sat across from his desk. Rogue moved over to the chair, sinking down into the cool leather upholstery, wincing at the squeaking sound the fabric made under her weight.

"How are you feeling?" Professor Xavier rested his folded hands on the desk, a sympathetic smile plastered on his face.

"Ah'm feelin' fine. Everyone's makin' such a big deal outta nothin'."

Xavier's smile grew, clearly humoring her. "Yes well, better safe than sorry, don't you think?"

Rogue squared her jaw and looked down at her hands. "So you goin' into mah mind?"

"No. I don't see the need for it." He straightened his back as he shook his head. "Your issue isn't with Carol's psyche, it's with you."

"Me." Rogue gave Professor X a skeptical smile. "Ah'm fine."

"Rogue, you don't need to put on an act for my benefit."

She let out a sharp breath and shook her head. "It's not an act. Ah'm fine. Everybody's always dancin' around me like ah'm gunna break or somethin'. Like ah'm some fragile frail little... baby deer, an' if they do somethin' wrong ah'll freak out."

"And this bothers you." Xavier said with a nod.

"Of course it does!" Rogue threw a hand in the air and Professor X pursed his lips as he listened. "Ah can't do anything without someone watchin' me. Second guessin' mah every move. Everyone's makin' the decisions for me. Everyone seems t'know what's best for me, an' apparently ah'm doin' a terrible job at makin' mah own decisions. So... ah give up." She crossed her arms and looked away. "Ah just won't do anything. An' if that means Carol takes over, then so be it. Maybe she'll have better luck the second time around."

"I see." He said gently. "Is there more?" There was a moment of silence before Rogue looked back at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Ah don't understand it Professor. One side of me is sayin' that ah know he loved me, an' the other side is sayin'... what if he didn't. What if this was all just a game to him? An' if that's the case... ah'm clearly in no position to make any decisions mahself. An' ah don't have anyone to talk to about it because everyone's gotta add their damn two cents."

Professor Xavier knit his brow. "I'm perplexed by Remy's departure as well. I too, trusted Remy. And if in fact, what you're thinking is correct, than I am just as credulous as you. Perhaps Carol should be making the decisions for both of us, hmm?"

Rogue smiled wiping away the few tears that had managed to escape before she could catch them.

"But there is something you should know before you doubt Remy's sincerity. Did Remy ever tell you why I requested he complete school?"

Rogue nodded. "He said you wanted to be sure he was takin' bein' here seriously. That he wouldn't just skip out an' run away... which he did... before he could even finish takin' the course."

"Yes. Well..." Professor X turned and pulled open the bottom drawer of his desk, lifting out a manilla envelope and setting it on the desk top in front of her. "Since he has no current address, the school sent this here."

Rogue furrowed her brow as she stared at the Professor who motioned for her to open it. She took the envelope and slipped it open, emptying its contents into her hand. A single, decorated piece of paper. She tipped her head to read it better.

It was a diploma. His diploma.

She looked up at Xavier and shook his head. "Ah don't understand. He didn't finish."

"He left here before he was finished, but it appears that he kept true to his word." Professor X grinned like a proud Father. "So it appears that our judgment wasn't as amiss as we might have thought."

Rogue nodded, slipping the paper back into the envelope before setting it down on the desk.

"I know you Rogue, and I know that you're a strong willed, decisive young woman. Don't lose that. Don't doubt yourself. It's these characteristics that we all have that make us who we are."

"But what if ah'm wrong?"

"Then we can deal with that when we get there. But it's not in your nature to doubt your own instincts so quickly. You can't allow yourself to forget who you are just because you feel unsure."

Rogue leaned back in the plush leather chair, the fabric groaning under her movement.

"Just, give it some thought. Alright?" Xavier grinned, taking the envelope and returning it to his bottom drawer. "As for having someone to speak with, I am always here for you Rogue. And I assure you, while I have my opinions, I'm quite good at keeping them to myself."

Rogue cracked a tiny smile again and ran a finger under her eye. "Thank you Professor."

He smiled and offered her a silent nod before she stood up and exited the room, shutting the door softly behind her. She closed her eyes and instinctively lifted her hand to massage her temple when she realized that she no longer had a massive headache.

"Guess this talkin' crap ain't as overrated as ah thought." she muttered to herself before heading up to her room.

* * *

**_A/N: Hope you guys like it! I didn't really spend as much time as I'd liked to have... I just wanted to get it done.  
Thanks for your super cool reviews :) Keep 'em comin'!!_**

**_~KC_**

**_PS. The whole "Kitty pregnancy" thing... I threw that in there for Demonlrd66. ;)_**

**_PSS. (Or is it post post script? whatever.) I hope this chapter didn't screw up too, I checked it over as best I could, but last chapter kind of went all screwy on the end when I posted it. I hate my new word processor. It's... beyond stupid._**


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen.

Rogue's head rolled to the side, squinting to see the clock on the med bay wall in the dark room. It looked like it was around 1, but that's what she thought when she looked 20 minutes ago.

At least she thought it was 20 minutes ago... It felt like 20 minutes ago...

She let out a sigh and adjusted her pillow for the eight hundredth time that night. She had half a mind to make Hank try to sleep down on the stupid hospital beds they had in the med bay, see how he liked it. She flipped over onto her stomach and buried her head in the pillow, praying for sleep to find her. She was tempted to peek at the clock again; it had to have been at least another 10 minutes since she looked last, but she resisted, focusing her energy on trying to sleep. She'd just about drifted off when her bedroom door opened quietly.

Probably Hank, coming to check up on the stupid machines that were part of the source for her insomnia. Or worse... Logan. Or Kitty. Either one was equally not okay at this point in the game. Not when all she wanted was to sleep. She closed her eyes and decided it would be best if she just pretended to be asleep. Whoever was here to check on her would get the point eventually and leave. She listened carefully, straining to see if there was any sign as to who was visiting. Not a sound at all until the door opened and closed quietly again. Must have been Hank. He was the only one who would have been able to gracefully sneak in and sneak out without being heard.

Rogue let out a sigh of defeat as she lifted her head and looked over her shoulder to squint at the clock on the wall. 1:05?! What the hell... there was something wrong with that evil clock. She groaned, turning her head to drop it back on the pillow. What she did instead, was gasp and nearly fall backwards off the bed.

Remy grinned his silly self satisfied smirk, laying on his side next to her with his one hand propping up his head. "Boo."

After the shock had passed, a smile danced across her lips as she threw her arms around his neck. "You came back!"

Remy chuckled, smoothing his hand down her soft hair until she pulled back to look him in the eye. He trailed a finger down her jaw, his eyes following it until he reached the dimple in her chin. He looked up into her sparkling green eyes and shook his head.

"Dieu, I missed dis face."

She stared into his memorizing eyes for a moment before looking down. "Ah didn't think you were comin' back."

His brow pinched together and his expression grew serious. "Had t'make sure my chère was okay." With his hands, he cupped her jaw and kissed her forehead gently. "Y'had Remy worried, Roguey."

"Ah'm fine..." She blushed and closed her eyes. "It's really not a big deal."

He pulled back to look at her, his eyes narrowed skeptically. "Really? Cause when Kitty was explainin' it, it sounded pretty serious..."

She let out a breath and shook her head. "Carol used t'get anxiety attacks..." she trailed off with a shrug, not wanting to tell him _why_ she was suddenly getting Carol's anxiety attacks. "It's really nothin'."

"Dat's it? You ain't... y'know..."

Rogue smiled. "Ah ain't, ah know, what?"

Remy rubbed the back of his neck nervously and frowned. "Y'know..." He made an exaggerated look towards her stomach before silently looking back up at her, eyes wide open.

"Oh God..." Rogue couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face. "Did Kitty tell you ah was pregnant? Oh, ah am. Ah'm thinkin' of namin' it..." She pursed her lips as if she was in deep thought. "Rogue junior. Or maybe somethin' exotic like... Lemon Tree. Lemon Tree Lebeau. Nice ring to it right?"

Remy rolled his eyes and visibly relaxed.

"An' after ah have this baby, ah've been accepted into the space program at NASA, so that should be good..." Rogue continued until Remy gave her a nod.

"Ha ha." He smiled. "Glad t'see y'didn' lose dat sense a'humor."

Rogue shook her head slowly. "Nah... it just went on vacation."

"Guess I should take what Kitty says with a grain a'salt." He winked. "Me of all people should know dat."

"Ah missed you Remy." She whispered, tipping her head towards him to rest her forehead against his. "Don't leave me again... please..."

Remy smoothed his hand from her jaw to the back of her neck with a small grin. "How can I say no when you beg like dat...?"

A smile crept across her lips and she lidded her eyes playfully. "Ah'm not beggin'."

"Dat's too bad." He moved in slowly, placing a line of soft kisses along her jawline. "I like it when y'beg." He murmured against her ear before kissing his way down her neck to her shoulder, slipping the strap of her tank top off in the process. She closed her eyes and tipped her head to the side, giving him better access as she tried to slow her breathing.

"When y'say it like that, you're implyin' that ah've begged you before..." she smiled. He lifted his mouth from her flesh, his eyes drawn to a machine by her bedside whose beeps had begun to slowly increase in speed.

A mischievous smirk tugged up the corner of his mouth as he stared at it before looking over to her. "Dat one keepin' track a'yo' heart rate chère?"

"Maybe." She pressed her lips together to try to suppress her growing smile.

"Sounds like it's workin'... but I think maybe we should test it out a bit." He muttered against her neck before playfully nibbling at her skin. "Better t'be safe den sorry, non?"

Rogue giggled. "Oh Remy, always the concerned man of caution."

The morning came too early as far as Rogue was concerned. One minute she was snuggled up in Remy's arms, her head nestled against his shoulder comfortably in a deep enough sleep that his snoring didn't have any affect on her, and the next minute she was jolted awake when he ripped his body away from her as he hopped to his feet. She scrubbed her eyes and squinted through the sleep, watching as he quickly pulled his pants back on.

"What's the matter?"

He began to answer in French. Actually, she was sure he was more likely cursing himself in French, judging by the look on his face. He pulled his shirt on before stopping to look at her, his expression softening at the confused look she gave him.

"Slept in." He gave her a wink as he plopped back down on the edge of her bed and gathered his boots "No damn windows down here t'let d'sun in. Just gunna make Remy's exit plans... un peu difficile."

Rogue smirked as he struggled to reef his boots on. "Coulda got a head start if y'slept with your clothes on like me... steada just your skivvies."

He scoffed and looked over his shoulder at her. "Can't get comfortable wit' clothes on chere. 'Sides..." He grinned. "Didn' hear you complainin' much last night, hein?"

She rolled her eyes and combed a hand through her bed head. "Why y'sneakin' out anyways? Ain't like we gotta hide anything from anyone."

Remy silently tied his boot before switching to the next.

"Remy? Y'listenin'? You can stay here with me..." She sat up, a frown creasing her brow as she watched him. "You are plannin' on stayin', right?"

He let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. "Rogue... I can't stay. Not right now. Y'can't let anyone know dat I was here."

"Why not?" She squared her jaw and narrowed her eyes "It's Logan, isn't it?"

"I can't explain now chere. I'll be back tonight. Promise." He leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Meet me in d'library at midnight. I'll explain everything to you den."

"Everything?" Rogue watched as his expression changed and his eyes suddenly clouded over.

He let out a heavy breath and gave her a single nod. "Everything."

Without another word, he moved over to the door and eased it open. He was about to slip into the hallway when he jerked back into her room and quietly shut the door again.

Rogue knit her brow and shook her head. "What's wrong?"

Instead of answering, he carefully let go of the doorknob and pressed his back to the wall.

The doorknob twisted and the door swung open. Dr. McCoy stepped in and offered Rogue a friendly smile as he bid her a good morning, shutting the door behind him.

Rogue stared at Remy, who was still quietly pressed against the wall behind Hank. Her eyes flicked back to Dr. McCoy and she grinned casually. "... Mornin'!"

Hank moved to the foot of her bed and slipped the clipboard out, his eyes scanning it's contents as he scribbled a few things on it. She flicked her eyes towards the closet door along the same wall Remy was pressed up against and lifted her eyebrows.

Hank looked up at her and smiled, moving around to the side of her bed to one of the machines "How was your night Rogue?"

"Uh, alright. Ah had some trouble gettin' t'sleep." She shrugged. "But that's just because ah'm in a different bed. Throws me off mah routine, y'know?"

She could see Remy slip into the closet behind Hank as she spoke, suddenly relieved for his innate sneaking skills.

Hank frowned "My goodness!" He stroked his chin and shook his head. "Your heart rate went through the roof! Did you have another episode?"

Rogue's eyebrows perked up and she blinked at him as he waited for her to answer. "It... records that stuff?"

"Yes, of course." His expression grew serious and he pursed his lips. "Was everything alright Rogue?"

"Yeah! No... ah couldn't get t'sleep. So ah went for ...a jog. This wireless heart monitor must get really great reception." She chuckled uneasily as she tapped the device on her wrist, sending a mental glare in the direction of the closet where she was sure Remy was cracking up.

"For the better part of an hour?" Hank adjusted his glasses slightly and raised an eyebrow. "Twice?"

"Mmhmm." Rogue clenched her jaw to keep the blush from dancing across her pale cheeks. "It worked!"

"Hmm..." Hank furrowed his brow. "Well, perhaps next time you should try to find something less active to assist you in sleeping. Try counting sheep." He smiled and Rogue resisted the urge to let out a sigh of relief.

Kitty bounded through the door without bothering to open it and smiled apologetically at Dr. McCoy.

"Sorry sir, I... thought you were finished."

Hank smiled at Kitty and motioned for the chair next to the door. "Nearly."

Kitty turned her attention to Rogue and pursed her lips. "When you're done, we should leave. Like... right away."

Rogue furrowed her brow and shook her head with a single laugh. "Alright... why?"

Kitty shot out a breath and crossed her arms "Logan's on his way. Just thought you'd like to avoid him..." She whispered.

Rogue sat up straighter in her bed and her jaw dropped slightly. If Logan got close enough, there was no way Remy could hide. He'd smell him as soon as he walked in the room, no matter how well hidden he was.

Hank shook his head as he scribbled something on the clipboard. "You two are still going at it, I see."

"Uh, yeah." Rogue motioned for Kitty to come closer as she gave Dr. McCoy a smile. "Girl talk."

"By all means. Don't mind me." He grinned and stepped away, facing the closet where Remy was hiding.

"Kitty, you gotta get rid of him. He can't come in here right now." Rogue whispered when Kitty tipped her ear towards her.

"Get rid of him? There's no way he'd listen to me. Your best bet is to just hurry up and leave, and then when he gets here, he'll see the room empty and just-"

"No! Listen to me. He cannot come in this room." Rogue hissed "Remy's in the closet."

Kitty furrowed her brow and cocked her head. "He's... gay?"

Rogue let out a soothing breath and shook her head. "No Kitty, he's not gay. He's _in the closet_. Here. In this room."

Kitty's eyebrows perked up and her mouth formed a perfect 'o' as she slowly began to put the pieces together. "Gotcha." She whispered, giving Rogue a thumbs up. "I'll take care of it."

"Alright Rogue," turned to face Rogue once again with a smile and tucked the clipboard under his arm. "I believe you're all set to go. Just promise me you won't do any more strenuous physical activities in the dead of night. Your heart monitor is there to ensure you maintain a regular rhythm, and we can't do that if you're voluntarily making it sky rocket."

"Ah promise it won't happen again Hank." Rogue answered quickly, closing her eyes as the girl beside her went from confused to giggling in a matter of seconds. Sure, she couldn't figure out what 'Remy's in the closet' meant without assistance... but _this,_ she gets.

"Strenuous physical activity..." She chuckled before phasing through the door once again.

If Remy hadn't been laughing before, she was sure he was laughin' his ass off by now.

--

Later that afternoon, Kitty rushed through the halls of the institute, poking her head in every open doorway and scanning its occupants for Rogue. She rounded a corner and nearly knocked Bobby off his feet. After muttering an apology, she'd asked him if he knew where Rogue was; and when he told her she was in the kitchen with Jean, Kitty frowned.

What the hell would she be doing in the kitchen with Jean? Not that she was jealous or anything, it's just that Jean was a terrible cook. Terrible being like, a terrible understatement. But she wasn't jealous. Nope. No green-eyed monster here...  
As Kitty neared the kitchen, she could hear Jean's laughter bounce off the walls. Kitty clenched her hands into fists and leaned up against the wall when she heard Rogue's voice.

"You're awful at this, y'do know that right?"

Jean laughed again. "Practice makes perfect. And just because I can't cook, doesn't mean I can't bake."

"No, but the fact that you managed to make banana muffins turn out like banana pudding? That means y'can't bake." Rogue chuckled as she spoke. "Guess you ain't perfect after all."

Kitty rolled her eyes in silent agreement as the two girls continued to laugh.

"Listen," Rogue cleared her throat. "Ah wanted t'thank you."

"For teaching you how to burn milk?" Kitty could hear the smile in Jean's voice. "Just trying to help you find a new hobby."

"Well for that, obviously..." They tittered again and Kitty rolled her eyes again. "Y'been so nice t'me the past little while... ah just wanted you t'know that ah really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it. What are pals for?"

Kitty shook her head and grumbled under her breath. That sounded like the perfect cue for her to make her grand entrance. She slapped on a smile and rounded the corner, offering them a wave before scrunching her nose up in disgust.

"What is that smell?!"

Jean waved a hand in the air. "Oh... just a botched attempt at fudge. I'm determined to get it one of these days."

Rogue smiled and dusted the flour off her hands. "What's up Kit?"

Kitty's expression changed to a full grin instantly and she pressed her palms down on the counter excitedly. "I've been like... looking for you forever. I had to tell you about Logan."

Rogue raised an eyebrow, signaling for Kitty to continue.

"Okay, so I went to distract him right? And I'm walking up to him as he's headed towards me down the hall... and I'm thinking like, I have no idea what to say to get him to stay away from your room. So I'm all like... 'I found something on your computer when I was cleaning it up the other day. It's kind of important... you should come with me.' And he's all, 'I'm sure it can wait.'" She immitated Logan's gruff voice to the best of her ability causing the two girls to laugh. "So I tell him it's really serious... that I found a Trojan on his computer and he needs to see it right away." Her eyes glittered as she paused for effect. "He totally thought I was talking about... condoms." She whispered the last word as if it were a four letter word.

Rogue laughed and Jean groaned with a frown. "That's gross..."

Kitty giggled and picked up a stray chocolate chip off the counter with a shrug. "I also told him if he was going to download porn, he should try to hide it a little better. You shoulda seen how red his face got... it was totally priceless."

Now Rogue's face distorted in disgust as they laughed. "You actually found that on his computer?"

"Well no, but I assumed. And apparently, I assumed right." Kitty grinned and popped the chocolate chip in her mouth.

"That's so gross... I don't want to think of Logan and stuff like that. Gives me the willies." Jean shuddered and shook her head.

Kitty poked at what appeared to be a banana muffin that looked severely undercooked. Or maybe they forgot to add flour... either way, it was gross.

"Thanks Kit. Ah owe y'one."

"So did you tell Jean about your late night work out?" Kitty wagged her eyebrows suggestively and laughed as Rogue's complexion grew pink.

"Workout?" Jean raised an eyebrow and looked from Kitty to Rogue.

Before Rogue had a chance to answer, an abrupt 'bamf' sound followed by a burst of thick smoke broke out in the doorway.

"Rogue!"

The three girls looked up at Kurt who stood in the doorway, the plume of purple smoke dissipating around him.

"Kurt? What's wrong?" Rogue knit her brow and wiped her hands clean on her jeans. "Is everything alright?"

"Zere's someone at ze gate asking for Gambit." He rubbed the back of his neck and frowned. "A girl. Zey buzzed her in."

Kitty watched Rogue's expression carefully, looking for any kind of sign she could read on the girls face. She furrowed her brow and followed Kurt out of the kitchen towards the front lobby with both Jean and Kitty directly behind them.

"Did she say who she was?" Rogue ask as they stopped in the foyer, watching Bobby hurry to answer the door.

"No one asked. But she looked harmless." Kurt shrugged and Rogue rolled her eyes, leaning against the doorframe.

"That's what the Greeks thought when the got a Trojan dropped off at their door..." Kitty muttered. When Kurt shot her a confused look she smiled. "The horse, not the condom."

Bobby pulled the door open and raised his eyebrows appreciatively. "Well hello..." he grinned and stepped aside to allow the woman in, his eyes moving up and down her slim body as she stepped past him. He didn't even try to make it look discreet. And judging by the way she was dressed in her mid-drift shirt and tight-ass jeans, she enjoyed getting the looks.

The blonde woman pulled her designer sunglasses off and tucked them in her Gucci bag that hung delicately off the inside of her elbow. She looked around the foyer with an unimpressed expression as she smoothed a manicured hand along the nape of her neck, ensuring her perfect hair was still held in place.

"To what do I owe this... great pleasure?" Bobby smiled and did a weird little bow thing that caused Kitty to utter a single laugh. What a loser.

"I already tol' you. I'm lookin' fo'Remy."

Bobby pressed his lips together and mustered up the best regretful expression he could manage. "Unfortunately... he's not here." he inched closer to her and winked. "But I would be happy to assist you with anything you need... assisting... with..."

She gave Bobby a condescending once-over before turning her attention to the four of them in the large doorway. "Any of y'all happen t'know where I might be able t'find him?" she smiled smoothly, showing off her perfect teeth.

"Nope." Rogue's eyes hardened, and she lifted her chin slightly. "He ain't been around here for months."

"Hmm..." She hummed softly as she stared at Rogue. "Dat so?"

Kitty's eyes flicked back to Rogue who worked the muscles in her jaw and offered a single nod. She frowned at Rogue's reaction to the woman. Clearly she had nothing to worry about as far as Remy was concerned... right? Kitty looked back at the blonde and tipped her head. She was gorgeous, sure... but Rogue wasn't so bad herself. Kitty saw Rogue grip the doorframe through the corner of her eye. She usually hid her feelings so well, but she knew that when it came to pretty blondes, Rogue had trouble keeping her emotions under check. She had Carol Danvers to thank for that one. That _had _to be all that was bothering her about the woman; her similarities to Carol. That had to be it.

Kitty eyed Rogue again and pursed her lips. Maybe Rogue could use that excuse with everyone else, but Kitty knew the look of jealously when she saw it.

And Rogue had the look of the green-eyed monster.

"Well, if he happens to drop in," Jean stepped forward and smiled graciously, instantly taking the attention off Rogue. "We'll let him know you stopped by. Miss...?"

The blonde woman's bright blue eyes wandered over to Jean and she smiled. "Missus. Mrs. Belladonna Bordeaux-Lebeau. I'm his wife."

His what now?

Ignoring the shocked reactions from everyone, the blonde dropped her chin to her chest and ran her manicured fingers along her bare tummy, slowly lifting her gaze with a smirk. "His pregnant wife."

* * *

**_A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up... as I near the end of the story, I'm taking longer to do each chapter to make sure it's perfect. I'm sure you all understand. _**

**_Now, let's get right to the heart of the matter... WHAT?! Betchya'll didn't see THAT one comin'! haha... Now we all know the big secret, right?! Or DO we? Wee!_**

**_Ok, and the little thing I put in about Jean not wanting to think about Logan and sex was just for my own amusment... just because of their "love triangle" in the actual comicverse... it made me laugh. And the entire second sequence in the story with Kitty getting rid of Logan for Rogue was written just for the "in the closet" line. It really... makes me laugh every time I read it. LOL_**

**_Thanks for the reviews guys! Love you all! Keep 'em comin' cuz it's what keeps me goin'! (that's what she said?)_**

**_~KC_**


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

The silence in the room reminded Rogue what it was like after a really loud explosion in the Danger Room. That awful, unnatural quiet that preceeded the terrible high pitched whining sound in your eardrums as you waited for normalcy to return.  
Except there had been no explosion. There was no buzzing sound. And even after Belladonna had left, everyone still stood shocked and quiet, long after any sense of normalcy should have returned.

The sound of the doorframe that Rogue gripped as it cracked off in her hand was the first sound anyone acknowledged. The substance that was once piece of a solid wood frame, crumbled to the ground in fine chunks.

"Are you okay?" Kitty asked softly, biting her lip as she stared at Rogue. But Rogue kept her eyes fixed on the closed front door that the she-devil had exited through minutes ago.

A smooth smile pulled across her lips and she looked at Kitty. "Ah'm great!" She answered through her teeth before turning to Jean. "Peachy!"

"Rogue..." Jean's eyebrows knit together and she shook her head silently, clearly at a loss for words.

"Ah think ah'm gunna head to mah room..." Rogue said slowly with a nod. She could feel it coming... like the boiling water in a small pot as it neared the top, about to spill over. She had to get to her room. She slowly rounded the staircase, her hand gently sliding along the banister as she climbed the steps, trying not to notice how they were still staring at her. When she reached the top of the stairs, she turned towards the hall mechanically, nearly bumping into Logan.

He frowned. "What's yer problem?"

She ignored him, continuing past him down the hall. She didn't want to answer him right now. She just had to get to her room. Just a few more feet. Ignoring the odd glances she was getting as she walked by people calmly, not bothering to apologize for bumping into them or even acknowledging their presence. She just had to get to her room.

She put her hand on the door knob as gently as she could and twisted, before pulling the door open and stepping inside. Once inside, she slammed the door shut with a thunderous crack and clutched the sides of her head to try to soothe the throbbing headache that was starting.

She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to order her body to relax but she didn't really care anymore. She couldn't breathe anymore. She couldn't hear anything anymore. Nothing except for the muffled thudding of her own heart.

__

Thump thump, thump thump, thump thump.

--

Remy gracefully hoisted himself up onto the windowsill, jimmying the lock open and easing the window up far enough to let himself in. The library was dark, causing him to squint his eyes as he waited for them to adjust. He glanced up at the clock on the wall before scanning his eyes across the open space. She wasn't here yet and he was already running late. He pursed his lips and scrubbed the palm of his hand against his unshaven chin, letting out a sigh. Maybe she fell asleep. In which case he'd have to sneak downstairs again and meet her in her room. Under normal circumstances, meeting Rogue alone in her room wouldn't be a problem for him at all. But not tonight. He'd wanted to talk to her. To tell her everything... to tell her the truth.

He was a married man.

The very thought of the words caused him to shudder and pinch his eyes shut. He wasn't_ really _married... only _legally_ married. And that was only because Bella refused to sign the divorce papers, telling him that divorce was a sin to the Catholic church. Of course the girl chose this occasion to get all holy on him. Sure, she could kill someone in cold blood and happily receive payment for it; but _divorce_ was a _sin_. She'd thrown the papers back at him and told him to get out. He didn't have to stay with her, he just had to stay married to her.

Which wouldn't really be a problem unless one of them ever wanted to get married again. Or unless one of them flat out lied to their girlfriend and avoided the subject all together.

He worked the muscles in his jaw, finally deciding to simply wait a few minutes to see if she showed up. It'd make his job easier, in so many ways more than one. He opened his eyes to find a seat, finding instead two very angry blue eyes glaring at him.

"Thought I told you t'stay away."

"Never been good at followin' orders."

Logan growled and grabbed Remy by the collar, tugging him in close. "Yer in a world a trouble now Gambit." he rumbled.

"I'm just here t'tell Rogue d'truth." Remy furrowed his brow and gripped the fist Logan had wrapped around a portion of his shirt. "Don' need t'go all 'Momma bear' on me."

Logan released his grip on Remy and narrowed his eyes. "She ain't here."

Remy fixed his attire indignantly and squared his jaw "Yeah, I noticed."

"No, I mean she ain't _here_. She took off after the little woman dropped by lookin' for you."

Remy's brain raced as he tried to process what had happened. The confusion written on his face melted away into horror, as he slowly began to realize what Logan meant.

"Y'mean..."

"Yep."

"An' Rogue..."

"Mmhmm."

Remy ignored the smirk on Logan's face, his hand rubbing across his brow as thousands of thoughts popped into his head all at once.

Rogue knew. And she found out before he could tell him. A pain ripped through his chest and he closed his eyes with a frown. She probably hated him.

Suddenly, another reality slapped him in the face. Belladonna was here, looking for him.

"What did she want?"

"I ain't yer messenger."

"Where did Rogue go? When did she leave?"

Logan's frown returned and he shook his head. "Even if I knew I wouldn't tell you. I think you've done enough damage t'her for one lifetime."

"Yeah well, luckily no one asked you what you think." Remy frowned back at him. "An' you really think dat over-protecting' her ain't doin' any damage? At least I treat her like a human being."

"_I_ don't lie to her."

Remy smirked cavalierly "Y'don't?"

Logan growled, balling his hands up into fists as he glared at him as he spun around and slipped out the open window.

He didn't have time for Logan's crap right now. He didn't even have time to question Belladonna's motives. He had to find Rogue and talk to her. He stood still for a moment, contemplating where she might have run off to, considering the possibility that Logan had only been lying to him to make him leave. A quick check of the parking lot snuffed out that possibility; Rogue's green car was gone. He thought of all the places she could be, restaurants that might still be open, coffee places she liked, the library, a book store... the movies... anywhere. He headed back for the road, hopping on his bike and kicking it into gear.

As hopeless as it seemed, his only chance now was to just ride around and try to find her. He sped down the nearly deserted street, his mind racing with ideas as to where he might find her. He slowed down as he neared the coffee shop on the corner, checking the parking lot as he passed; empty. He hit the throttle, sending him speeding off to the next location. Eventually, he reached the daycare she'd brought him to. It was closed, obviously, but he was running out of places to check. He pulled into the lot, steadying the bike with his feet and shut it off. She wasn't here either. He let out a deep sigh and rubbed the back of his neck, looking out across the street to the park.

The park. He closed his eyes and shook his head as he remembered... how easy it had been to lie to her. Would it really have been so difficult to tell her the truth? He squinted, looking as if the answer were physically across the street. Deep down, he already knew the answer, weather he chose to believe it or not. She would have forgiven him. He was a screwed up, stupid idiot, worth nothing... let alone worthy of her... and she'd have forgiven him. It was just easier to lie to himself and pretend that he was perfect as he had with all the other women he'd ever encountered.

But she was nothing like all those other women. He really actually trusted her.

He really actually loved her.

His eyes widened as a new idea blossomed in his mind. Of course! He knew exactly where she was hiding; back to the place where all this _love_ stuff started. He instantly started up the engine and swiveled the bike around, speeding down the road much faster than he should have been. It took a bit to get out of town, much less time than it would have if he was obeying local traffic laws of course, but by the time he'd reached the secluded park it was nearly 1:30 in the morning. He parked his bike next to the little green sports car and hopped off, feeling his heart quicken at the realization that he'd found her. He pursed his lips together and shoved his hands in his pockets as he started for the big oak tree at the top of the hill. _Their_ tree.

He trudged up the hill slower than normal, finding himself suddenly incredibly nervous. What would she say? Would she even want to talk to him?

Probably not; not that he'd blame her. He just hoped she'd give him a chance to explain, for whatever his explanation was worth.

His mind swam with all the possible things she might do when she saw him, balling his hands into fists as his palms broke out into a cold sweat.

And then, he saw her. Sitting perfectly still, knees pulled up against her chest, back leaning against the oak tree, facing at an angle that she surely couldn't have noticed him yet. He squinted at her, feeling a little tug at his heart strings at the sight of her and he frowned.

Even in the pale light the moon provided, he could see she'd been crying.

He was such an ass.

--

It had taken her a while to settle Carol down. A few hours of sitting on her bedroom floor, gasping for each breath quietly as she tried to steady her heart rate; trying to control the woman who no longer existed. It had worked eventually, although the very idea of it was pathetic to her. Why even bother anymore? She knew it wasn't wise to drive in such a condition... unsure of when a surprise attack would suddenly take over her emotions, possibly causing her to careen off the road and crash, but she just had to get away. She couldn't be there knowing that everyone would soon know how stupid she was. How naive she was. She didn't want their concern or their pity. She didn't want to hear Logan gloat about how right he was all along. She didn't want them to see her cry. But most of all, she didn't want to see _him_. She didn't want to be anywhere near the place when he showed up.

Rogue tipped her chin, looking up at the stars as she felt her heart begin to throb faster again. It wasn't Carol's anxiety anymore. Now it was her own. Caused by the simple fact that she was the biggest idiot in Westchester. Possibly even in the entire world. She _believed_ him for crying out loud! Remy Lebeau, silver tongued ladies man...

No, it wasn't her fault. It couldn't be... Professor X had fallen for his lies too. And not only was Professor Xavier a genius, he was a freakin' telepath. There was no way she could have known... right? The thought only made her feel a little bit better, and she shrugged it off with a sigh, burying her chin in her knees and hugging her legs even tighter.

She should have _known_.

She heard a sound behind her and closed her eyes. Probably just a racoon, rummaging through the parks garbage cans for bits of food. If she stayed still, maybe it would just go away.

If she stayed still long enough, maybe everything would just go away.

She tensed up the minute he walked into her peripheral vision, refusing to look at him at all. She knew who it was, damn Cajun always smelled so damn good. There was no one else it could be. He sat down next to her and she clenched her jaw, feeling his eyes fixed on her.

"Rogue... I-"

She shook her head quietly, glad to see that the simple action stopped him from speaking. She wanted to say so many things to him. Instead, she sucked her lower lip into her mouth and bit down hard, unable to hold back a few stray tears that managed to escape.

What a pathetic moron.

She wiped it away quickly and squared her jaw, hoping he didn't notice it at all. "How'd y'find me?" Her words sounded emotionless and dead, even to her own ears.

She saw him shrug through the corner of her eye, still refusing to look at him. "Just looked. Took a while... but m'pretty stubborn."

And then he smirked.

The stupid ass hole actually smirked at her. She could feel all the sadness in her gut instantly transform into anger... hatred... _fury. _Her head finally snapped around to look at him, her eyes narrowed with a dangerous glare.

"Is that funny?! What do y'want, a medal? A trophy?! Funny, cause the way ah see it, you already got your goddamn trophy. That's all ah am t'you." She spat the words out with disdain, keeping her icy glare fixed on his eyes. "Ah'm just a trophy, right? A big challenge. A big... whore. You won Remy... You touched the un-touchable! You tamed the moody, dark an' disturbed little beast! An' then Kitty an' Logan gave you a get outta jail free card... the perfect excuse t'leave. So you nabbed it up an' took right off t'your wife."

"No." Remy shook his head calmly, pursing his lips into a frown. His calm reaction only made her even more angry. "Logan found out and threatened t'tell you. An' I didn' go back to my _wife..._" His face twisted up in disgust when he said the word and he shook his head. "I wasn' even in N'Orleans."

Another lie.

"Oh! Is that so?!" She dug her nails into the palms of her fisted hands and struggled to find any last ounce of control she might have to keep from ripping his pretty little head off. "Then do ya mind tellin' me how y'managed t'get her pregnant?!"

Remy's frown disappeared as he blinked at her blankly. "What?"

"Ooooh... d'story's jus' gettin' good!"

Both of their heads swung around to the front to look at the source of the feminine voice, grinning at them like a Cheshire cat. She sat on the ground in front of them like a little kid who was listening to a bedtime story, propping her chin up on her fist with a giggle. "Don' stop on accounta me..."

* * *

**_A/N: Gah! Wassat crazy Belladonna up to?! _**

**_Anyways, I apologize for taking longer than usual to update. I was suffering from some terrible writers block... it was awful. I actually lost sleep over it. Well not littereally over it... I couldn't sleep, and I can only summize that it was because I was trying to figure out how to write this. It could have also been y'know... from life. LOL! Oh well. The only reason I have time to even get this up today is because my husband is ILL... and he's been sleeping most of the day. So, take joy in my husbands pain. I do. (LOL, I'm kidding, but it was funny.)_**

**_PS. I'm so glad so many of you enjoyed the Trojan joke in the last chapter... I laughed when I thought of it too. :) Thanks for your reviews guys! I wouldn't do it without you! _**

**_~KC!_**

**_(Oh! Before you go... please feel free to push that little button down there that says "review". It really helps to motivate me when I can't seem to write anymore, knowing that there are actually people out there that enjoy this crap I write. LOL! So thanks for the reviews in advance!)_**

**_PSS. I posted this chapter without re-reading it... because I was so anxious to just get the darn thing up (that's what she said.) so I apologize if it's less than perfect. Thanking you in advance for your forgivness. Hahaha... no, that's just weird. _**


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Belladonna sat on her knees before them with a big silly grin on her face. There was no doubt in his mind that she was enjoying this. She tipped her head to the side when he hadn't responded after a while and stuck out her lower lip in a pathetic little pout.

"Well go on!" she waved her hand in the air, causing the silver bangles she wore to clank together. "The woman's waitin' for an answer, baby."

Finally Remy snapped back to his senses. He frowned at Belladonna and let out a breath, not even knowing where to start. "Rogue, don' listen t'her." He looked over to her, only to find that she once again refused to look at him, keeping her eyes fixed on the blonde instead.

"You gon' listen t'_him_?" She raised her perfectly kempt eyebrow and an easy smile slid across her pink lips. "Look where dat got you already..."

"What are you doin' here Bella?" Remy clipped, narrowing his dark eyes as he stood up, hovering over her menacingly. She stood up slowly and smiled up at him, still standing half a foot shorter than him even with her heels on.

"I followed yo'woman. Thought she might lead me t'you... didn' think you'd come lookin' fo'her like some little lost puppy dog..." She took a step towards him and reached out, trailing her slender finger along his chest. "M'shocked t'tell you d'truth. Y'gone soft Lebeau?"

Remy swatted her hand away and she giggled again. "Y'still puttin' on dis act?" She waved her hand towards Rogue as she stood up and brushed the grass off her shorts. "He givin' you d'gentleman act chère? Seems t'be his specialty-"

"What are you doin' here?" Remy repeated slowly. "You come alone?"

"Yes I came alone. Y'think I need a damn entourage t'see my own husband?" She put her hands on her hips as she spoke, cocking her head with attitude.

He winced when she called him... that... glancing over to Rogue quickly who stared at him. Arms crossed and a look that could kill. He gave Belladonna a hard look as he worked the muscles in his jaw. He had no idea what she was doing here, but he knew she was enjoying the effect she had on Rogue. She always enjoyed causing misery to others.

Bella's eyes cast downwards and a pitiful look spread across her face as she stroked a hand across her tanned belly. "I jus' thought y'might wanna know how Remy junior was doin'-"

Remy grabbed her by the shoulders and glared. "Stop it. Now I know y'didn' come up here jus' t'make my life hell with yo'lies." Actually, he didn't know. That could have been her only reason to visit; just because she was bored. But he was guessing there was more to it since she went to the trouble of tracking him down through Rogue. "So jus' get to d'point."

Belladonna squirmed out of Remy's grasp and he dropped his hands to his sides, looking back at Rogue who was still watching the train wreck before her. He could only guess what she was thinking right now, aside from how many different ways to kill a Cajun. All he wanted to do was take her in his arms and apologize over and over again until she believed it.

"Alright, fine!" Belladonna rolled her eyes dramatically and sighed. "I was kinda hopin' not t'have t'do dis in front of an audience..." She motioned towards Rogue without actually acknowledging her presence. "But she seems t'be enjoyin' d'free show too much t'take d'hint!"

Rogue's eyebrows perked up and she unfolded her arms, putting her hands on her hips with that attitude of hers that he loved so much.

"Excuse me?!" She shook her head and narrowed her eyes. "Ah don't recall invitin' you up here, missy. _You_ followed _me_ here."

Bella smirked at Remy and shrugged. "Dat's right... you havin' yo'little pity party like a little heartbroken school girl..."

Rogue moved to take a step towards her, only to be stopped by Remy's outstretched arm. "She's just tryin' t'get y'goin' Rogue." He said, keeping his eyes fixed on his... _wife_. "So lemme ask again; what are you doin' here?"

Belladonna lifted her chin and held her arms firmly at her sides before inhaling a deep breath. "Remykins..." She exhaled and shook her head. "I don' wan' be married t'you anymore."

Had he heard right? He stared at her for a minute, blinking blankly, letting his outstretched arm that held Rogue back fall limp to his side. His eyebrows perked up and he shook his head. "Dat's it?" He uttered a single laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. "Bella! Dat's... why all d'dramatics?! Y'coulda tol' me y'wanted a divorce!" He chuckled and glanced at Rogue who was still staring at Belladonna, clearly not as happy with the news as he was.

"No Remycakes..." Belladonna looked down at the grass before her, her eyebrows pinched together with a look of sadness. He could never really tell what Bella was _actually_ thinking... her extreme facial expressions changed as frequently as her unpredictable emotions. She looked up at him and sighed. "I still don' wan' a divorce..."

He blinked at her and raised an eyebrow expectantly, hoping for her to elaborate what she expected him to do. Her face remained the same as she stared back silently, until he noticed a slight twinkle in her eye as the corner of her mouth curled upwards into a malicious little smirk. That's about when he noticed she had her arm twisted behind her back. Before he had a chance to even think about what she was about to do, she whipped the small blade out and hurled it at his head.

Bella hadn't expected Rogue to react so quickly, wrapping her arms around him and tackling him to the ground. She was clearly more observant than he had been. The knife lodged into the tree instead of his head and Bella let out an exasperated growl.

"What are you doin' girl?! You should be thankin' me!" She demanded, giving Rogue a hard stare. "After all he did t'you... y' should be cheerin' me on!"

"Ah might not like the man very much, but ah certainly don't wanna kill him." Rogue hissed, pushing herself up off of Remy's body to a sitting position. Her hands were balled up into tight fists pressed against his chest, and she was shaking with the effort it took to keep herself controlled. Remy pushed himself up offering to help Rogue to her feet. She shoved him back, eyes still fixed on Belladonna, fists still trembling.

"Dat's too bad baby doll..." Bella shrugged impishly stuck her lower lip out. "Dat means I'll haveta kill you too."

Rogue cocked her head at her with a bored look on her face, reaching out to grasp the butt of the knife that stuck out from the tree trunk. "Here, you'll need this." She snapped the knife off, leaving the blade inside the tree and tossed the handle towards her. It landed in the grass at her feet. Remy couldn't help but notice how Belladonna tried to hide her shock before quickly lifting her chin, acting unfazed and grinning.

"No actually, I don't."

He tensed up when Belladonna pulled a gun out of the back of her tight jeans and aimed it at them with a smile. "Time fo'plan B is all."

"Bella..." He held his palms up and took a step towards her, angling himself between Rogue and his crazy ass wife. "Y'don' have t'do dis Bell."

"Yes I do." She snapped harshly before regaining her aloof composure, turning her attention to Rogue once again. "An' I want you t'watch."

Rogue let out a shaky breath and frowned. "Sorry sugah... Ah ain't really into voyeurism."

Bella giggled and tipped the gun slightly, waving it around as if she were holding nothing more than a mere pen. "Oooh Remy... she's a funny one! She's kinda growin' on me!"

"Belladonna. Listen t'me. Don't do dis." Remy leveled his gaze and shook his head. "Dis is sloppy chère... all yo'gunna do is put d'heat on y'family. Dey'll find you."

Belladonna shook her head "I can make it look like an accident honey." He knew she was right. Of course she was right. She was a pro at making it look like an accident. "'Sides... you really think dey'd care 'bout losin' a t'ief like you? Y'own family don' even care yo'gone."

Rogue bit her lip and closed her eyes with a soothing breath. "Look." She took a step towards Belladonna whose giggling face instantly switched back to hard focus. Years worth of work in her family's profession had taught her well. Rogue took another step forward and shook her head. "Ah'm tryin' real hard t'play nice with you but-"

Belladonna snorted in a very un-lady like way and held a hand up. "Listen t'her Remyboo! She's a riot! A real comedienne!"

She bellowed out another round of laughter and Rogue took a determined step forward. "Ah know Remy's got this whole gentleman thing... sayin' he'd never punch a woman."

Belladonna's laughs stopped instantly, and she narrowed her eyes at Rogue with her gun aimed at _him_.

--

In a flash, Rogue lunged forward, pushing Belladonna's outstretched arm upwards. The gun went off, causing Remy to flinch instinctively as he watched Rogue easily overpower her, tossing the gun to the side with a curse. She spun the petite woman around and slammed her up against the tree, forcing her forearm under Belladonna's chin firmly against her neck before leaning in dangerously close. When they were finally still, their noses nearly touched.

"But ah ain't got a problem with it. Ah'm super strong and invulnerable sugah, y'aint got a chance. Even with that silly arsenal y'got in yo'back pocket."

"Funny... y'looked awfully vulnerable earlier when you was sittin' here cryin'... all alone..." Bella stuck out her lower lip, her eyebrows pinched together with exaggerated sympathy.

She barred her teeth and pressed her forearm harder against Belladonna's windpipe.

"What a'you gon' do baby doll?" Bella managed to wheeze with a smirk. "Kill me? Y'aint got the guts." Rogue leaned hard against Bella's throat, causing the woman to gasp.

"Rogue..."

"Shut up Remy!" She snapped, keeping her eyes fixed on Bella. She bit the index finger of her free hand, tearing the glove off. If blondie wanted to play hardball, she was ready to bat. _Kill her. Just kill her!_ "The last person ah used mah powers on was a pushy little blonde... just like you." She hissed into Bella's ear. "She ain't pushy anymore."

__

**Well that's a lie.**

Bella sneered as Rogue moved away from her ear to meet her gaze again.

"Now, y'got to the count a three t'start talkin'... or ah'm gunna have t'get the truth outta you the hard way. Y'hear me?" _**Don't even give her the benefit of counting Rogue! KILL HER!**_ Rogue bit her lip and forced the demands to the back of her mind, trying to stay focused on Belladonna.

Belladonna's fearless front faltered, her eyes widening helplessly with a sad little whimper. "Please... don' hurt me! I was jus' so mad dat Remy left me all alone an' pregnant... an' I-"

Rogue ground her teeth and slammed Belladonna against the tree trunk again to make her stop talking. "One. Don't make me do it the hard way." _**Do it Rogue, do it for Remy...**_

"Remy! Y'know dat I wasn' really gon'-"

"_Two_." Rogue hissed, cutting Belladonna off before she could complete the lie. _**She's nothing but a liar!**_

"...What are you gunna do?" The horror on her face wasn't fake anymore.

What was she going to do? All she wanted was the information Belladonna knew, and to possibly knock her out for a bit. Enough time to get away. Right? _**Wrong! All of this... everything is all her fault!** _

"Three." She lifted her hand up to Belladonna's jaw and was about to place it on her bare flesh when Bella cried out.

"No! I'll talk..." She squeaked. Rogue froze in place, her hard stare still focused on Belladonna's frightened blue eyes, but she wasn't listening to what the woman was crying about. She didn't _want_ to do it. _**Yes you do.**_ Her head began to hurt and she felt warmth enclose her naked hand, gently pulling it away from Belladonna. He guided her back a few steps carefully, both keeping their eyes fixed on Bella before he finally pulled his eyes away to look at her.

"Y'need t'relax Rogue."

__

**Don't let him tell you what to do.**

He was right, she needed to relax.

__

**No! We were so close to-**

She looked up at him silently and let out a harsh breath, silencing the unspoken words from the peanut gallery in her head. She shrugged away from him and nodded.

"Start talkin'."

Belladonna looked between the two of them warily, clearly unsure of what had just happened. She opened her mouth and stood silent for a moment before sucking in a deep breath "I _am_ pregnant... Remy ain' d'father. Haven't seen him fo'months..." She started, her eyes shifting past Rogue to look at Remy. "I met someone. He asked me t'marry him."

She shrugged away from Remy, realizing was still holding onto her. She kept her hard stare fixed on Belladonna, but kept her mouth clamped shut. None of this was any of her business, she was just there for intimidation purposes. Nothing more.

"No one else knows." She looked at Remy, her callous look returning. "Couldn' risk yo'brother catchin' wind of it... any excuse t'kill off a Bordeaux."

Remy squared his jaw and massaged his brow. "None of dis woulda happened if you'd jus' signed th'divorce papers Belladonna..."

"I _told_ you... I can not get a divorce! It's a mortal sin!"

"Woah woah..." Rogue held up her hands and squeezed her eyes shut._ **Nothing more Rogue! Keep quiet!**_

Once again, she ignored the voice and raised an eyebrow. "Back the crazy train up here... you can't get a divorce cause it's a mortal sin..." She widened her eyes and wiggled her fingers when she said the words before crossing them loosely over her chest. "But cheatin', lyin', stealin', killin'... those ones are all the okay sins." Belladonna lifted her chin and glanced at Rogue quickly before looking back at Remy. "I don' like her tone."

She could see him smile through the corner of her eye as he gave Belladonna a little shrug.

"Sugah," She continued, suddenly feeling a wave of confidence take over her as the tiny voice in the back of her mind grew more distant. "where ah come from, a sin is a sin. An' divorce certainly ain't worse than murder."

"Baby doll where you come from, inbreedin' is normal practice."

Remy held up a hand and stopped Rogue before she could snap off a come back. "Focus Bella. What is all dis about?"

Her eyes turned to him as he stared at Belladonna, bewildered by his calm response to the woman who had attempted to murder them both. This was who he was, wasn't it? With her, with Logan, with everyone. Slow to anger. The polar opposite as her. He knew just what to say to calm her down. He knew just what to say to keep her focused.

Same as his wife. Her heart ached again at the memory of his blatant lie, feeling herself begin to doubt how well she actually knew him at all. Rather than dwell on it and draw attention to herself, she clenched her trembling hands into tight fists and looked back at the woman before them.

Belladonna squared off her posture and tipped her chin upwards slightly, her eyebrows perked up in a cocky little expression. "I tol' you what it's about Remy. I won' get a divorce. My momma always tol' me de importance o'marriage, an' how it ain't t'be taken lightly. An' I won' let her down Remy. Her stare grew hard and Remy laughed.

"Chère..."

Rogue swallowed back the growl that tried to escape at the sound of him calling _her_ that.

"Thought it was somethin' serious!"

Belladonna's eyes grew wide and she huffed. "It _is_ serious! Dis is about me doin' what my momma says!"

He rolled his eyes and took a step towards her. "C'mon chère... y'can't possibly belive dat dis was ever a _real_ marriage."

There was a mischievous glint in her eye as she smirked. "Felt pretty real durin' d'honeymoon."

Rogue looked upwards and let out a breath, wishing she could just spin around and leave without anyone noticing. She didn't want to know this side of Remy... it was bad enough she had to live with the lie. She didn't want to know the_ details_...

"Bella... I don't think yo'Mère would hold it against you for gettin' a divorce from a fake marriage. S'pecially not when dere's a real shot at somethin' standin' in d'wings."

She stared at him and knit her brow, contemplating his point. Rogue clenched her jaw, praying that she'd just shut up and listen to him. Finally she let out a short breath and looked down at the grass below her feet. "I t'ink yo'right. Jus' dat... everyone t'inks I'm a screw up..." She let out a bitter laugh and squeezed her eyes shut. "Ma Mère was de only one who never did."

He took another step towards her and shook his head. "You ain' a screw up Belle." He smiled with a single laugh giving her a playful punch in the jaw. "Jus' when it comes t'killin' dis ol'Cajun. Ain' d'first time you tried, non?"

She smiled hesitantly and looked away. "Sure it won't be d'last either..." Belladonna crossed her arms firmly like a little girl who didn't get her way and frowned. "Jus' don't tell no one 'bout it. Y'hear? Last thing I need is Papa thinkin' I gone soft."

"My lips are sealed Belle."

Rogue closed her eyes and turned on her heel, taking this heartfelt moment between the two to make her silent escape. She didn't know how much longer she could just stand there like the awkward third wheel, even though she _was _the first one there and everyone just decided to crash her pity party. She pulled her single glove off as she trudged down the hill, shoving it in the back pocket of her jean shorts before proceeding to search for her keys.

She patted the front of pockets of her jeans, sticking her hand in as she slowed her pace to help the search efforts.

"Y'didn' really think I'd let y'slip away..."

She looked to her right with a frown, meeting his grinning eyes and cheesy smile as he held up her keys.

"Thought y'd know me better den dat by now."

"Thought ah knew a lot a'things Remy." She snatched the keys away from him and started down the hill with him keeping pace beside her. "Truth is, ah don't really know you at all."

He let out a breath and rubbed the back of his neck. "Rogue... I'm sorry I lied. It ain't exactly somethin' I enjoyed talkin' about... I'm sure you can see why..." He motioned back to the top of the hill where Belladonna stood. "She's a few bricks short of a load."

"Don't you get it? Ah trusted you Remy. Ah opened mah heart up t'you, an' ah thought you did the same..." She shook her head. "Ah'm sorry... ah just... don't know if ah can forgive you for that."

He stopped walking and put a hand on her arm to stop her as well, turning her body to face him with his brow knit together. "Everything was real Rogue. Every word."

She silently shook her head and looked away. "You were just as bad as everyone else who were tellin' me what t'do. Just as bad as Logan... just as bad as Carol."

He took her hands in his and frowned "Don' say dat-"

"It's the truth." She pressed her lips together and looked back at him. "Ah was manipulated by Logan, pushed around by Carol... and lied to by you."

"Rogue... we still can find a way-"

"An' you know what's the hardest part about it? Ah don't care what the other two do t'me in the long run... but you..." she bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from crying.

"Rogue... don' do dis..." He held onto her hands tightly. "Chère... I wanted t'tell you..."

"But you didn't."

She dropped his hands and turned away, hoping he hadn't noticed the tears forming in her eyes.

"Ah gotta head back... me an' Logan need t'have a chat." she let out a single humorless laugh and shook her head. "An' you got things you need t'take care of."

He looked over his shoulder at Belladonna, waiting impatiently at the top of the hill. Even in the dark, he could see the look of annoyance written on her porcelain face.

"So... dat's it?" He looked back at her.

"Ah guess so." She answered softly, refusing to look at him. She knew full well that the instant her eyes met his, there'd be no way she could hold back her tears. She was so weak.

Was she really? She furrowed her brow at the thought and closed her eyes at the sound of silence. No heart racing anxiety attack. No bitchy comments from her mental critic. No mind numbing headache. Just silence. She must have been stronger than she gave herself credit for.

"You okay?"

Her eyes fluttered open and she nodded, realizing she'd totally zoned out in her own mind. A slight smile escaped through her sad face and she shrugged. "Ah'm fine."

"Maybe I'll see you 'round some time." The corner of his mouth curled upwards into a half hearted smirk and he shoved his hands in his trench coat pockets.

Her heart ached at the finality of his simple comment. That was all their relationship had come to. The possibility of _maybe _seeing each other sometime in the future.

"You don't have t'leave the mansion again Remy, if y'got nowhere else t'-"

"Nothin' there for me anymore Rogue."

She nodded silently and turned around, starting her way back down the hill. "Nothin' there for me anymore either."

She refused to look back again. No regrets and no looking back. What's done is done. And it's all for the best anyways... right? She climbed into her car and twisted the key in the ignition, and shifted it into reverse, slowly creeping it back out of it's parking spot. The sound of gravel crunching beneath its tires and the soft hum of the engine slowing as she stopped to shift into drive, urging herself to keep her eyes fixed forward, refusing to let herself look back at him. Not this time. A clean break heals quicker... and it was bound to end sooner or later. Nothing lasts forever... She lifted her chin as she slowly turned the wheel, pulling away from the hill once and for all. Leaving it all behind. Leaving him behind. She stopped at the end of the drive, looking both ways habitually on the deserted dirt road before squeezing her eyes shut and resting her head on the steering wheel for a moment. A few tears spilled out, landing on her bare legs. When she sat up, her eyes flicked up to the rear view mirror. Even from such a distance, she could see as clear as day; he was still there. Watching her leave.

* * *

**_A/N: *sniffles* I listened to a lot of sad music while writing this chapter, so the last paragraph was really difficult for me to write without clutching at my heart and wimpering. (Seriously, I must have listened to "No Surprises" by Radiohead like, at least 50 times. It's a sad song.) I hope it has the same effect on everyone reading it. (That is to say, I hope it's not a bunch of crap. Sorry_** _Allyg1990**, but to me... it's all crap. LOL!!!)**_

_**Also, the story is almost done, which also makes me wimper. I've had so much fun writing this story with you guys, enjoying your wicked reviews and words of encouragment, and I've even made a few pals along the way. (Yes, Kitty is included in that list of pals. lol)**_

**_We finally get to actually *hear* Carol in this chapter... which is something I really wanted to avoid doing, but thought that it served to effectively show Rogue's battle. Meh. And we also got some lyrics to the song of which the story is named after. See if you can spot em! (I couldn't resist.) (I also would like to point out the similarities between the end of this chapter and the end of chapter 8... it's deja vu! lol)_**

**_Finally... I wanted to point out a few things. Belladonna... oh Bella, Bella, Bella. I had a lot of fun writing her... crazy lady. My inspiration for her was Hexadecimal from ReeBoot. (Showing my age.) All I could see was her face dramatically changing from one emotion to the next, much like how Hex's face/masks change in the blink of an eye. If you don't know who she is, youtube it. :) And Bella's nicknames for Remy (Remykins, Remyboo... etc...) pretty much all stem from the goopy names I call my dog, Marty. (And also from reading waaay too many Archie comics as a kid. "Archiekins". LOL)_**

**_I really hope this chapter wasn't anti-climactic. I hate when that happens... like the first season of Heroes... ugh... Anyways... now that I've effectively rambled on long enough... I want to thank everyone for their reviews of this chapter in advance, because I'm hoping you will all review me and give me the added fuel needed to finish this story off with a bang! (NO pun intended... haha)_**

**_Thanks guys! Stay tuned for the final episode! :)  
_********_(And thanks for everyone who reviewed the last chapter! You guys keep me going!)_**

_~KC_

_PS_

**_I'm not one for shamless self promoting, but I'm going to do it anyways. If you enjoyed "my version of Kitty" as so many people put it, please go check out my story_** **The Beautiful Mind of Katherine Pryde**._ **:) Another thing I wanted to mention now that we all see the light at the end of the tunnel... keep an eye out for more stories by your friendly neighbourhood KC! I have a few up my sleeve. (I'm wearing short sleeves right now, but you get the idea.) I hate to leave you all... *wimpering again***_


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen.

This was it. She was actually going through with it. She stared at her packed up duffel bag that sat on her neatly made bed; all zipped up and ready to go. Everyone was downstairs waiting for her, no doubt. They'd all tried to talk her out of leaving, but she'd persisted.

And she was starting to think that maybe they'd all been right. She didn't need to leave.

Rogue let out a breath and shook her head. No she didn't need to leave, but she _wanted_ to. Like she'd told Remy that night a week ago, there was nothing more for her here. She'd learned to control her powers, and now it was time for her to learn to control her life. No more curfew, no more people walking on egg shells around her to protect her feelings. No more pity parties. If she wanted to figure out who she was without Carol getting in the way, she couldn't do it around here.

But nobody understood that. They'd all told her she was just acting immature, leaving just because she'd had enough, or leaving just because _he_ was gone. Kitty hadn't spoken to her all week, Jean had spent the entire week trying to persuade her to change her mind, and Logan... well, after Rogue gave him a piece of her mind when she got back and offered to give him 'a taste of his own medicine', he didn't feel much like talking.

Well, almost nobody.

Rogue shoved her hands in her pockets as she trudged down the hall, one last time, making her way to Professor Xavier's office. She knocked softly before poking her head in through the open door.

"Rogue." He grinned. "Please, come in."

Rogue did as she was told, stepping into the office and closing the door behind her.

"I trust you're all packed and ready to go?"

She nodded somberly.

Xavier motioned towards the chair. "Please, have a seat."

She moved around the chair and sank down into the supple leather, for the last time. "Ah wanted to thank you Professor. For everything. For givin' me a chance... for helpin' me..." she knit her brow and shook her head. "You're the closest thing to a Father ah've ever really known."

He smiled softly at her. "You're a very special young woman Rogue. And if I'd ever had a daughter, I'd like to think she'd have a lot of your traits." His face grew serious and he leaned forward slightly. "It's not too late to change your mind you know."

"Ah know." She grinned sadly. "This is just... somethin' ah have to do. Ah need t'be... alone." She shook her head and looked down at her hands. "Ah need to figure out who ah am. It's too easy t'forget, 'specially with mah house guest." she smirked.

"And you say that you believe you have... your house guest..." He grinned, despite his concerned look. "under control?"

"She only gets the upper hand when ah let her. Ah'm not plannin' on doin' that again." Rogue smiled and tucked a hair behind her ear.

He smiled, causing his eyes to crinkle at the corners. "Rogue, I would be lying if I said I wasn't upset to see you go. But do remember that this will always be your home, and we, your family."

"Ah know." She pursed her lips as she stood. "Thank you... again."

He offered her a single nod before she turned around and slipped out of his office. She really was going to miss Professor X. There were certain things he knew about her, without her needing to explain. The fact that he didn't protest her decision to leave like everyone else had, was proof. He understood her, weather or not he agreed with her, and supported her decision. She bit her lip to distract herself from the swell of emotion rising up in her chest. She returned to her room to get her bags, shocked to find Kitty sitting on her bed next to the duffel bag.

She stood when she saw Rogue, her lips pursed together tightly and a frown wrinkling her brow.

"Rogue..."

Rogue let out a breath and braced herself for another round of attempted persuasion. Instead, Kitty moved over to her and wrapped her arms tightly around her neck.

"I don't want you to go."

"Kitty..." Rogue patted the younger mutants back.

"I know, I know... you're mind's already made up. I just wanted you to know that I don't want you to leave."

Rogue chuckled. "Just for the record?"

Kitty nodded silently and pulled away, biting her lower lip.

"I'm gunna miss you Kit."

"Me too." Kitty's frown curled up into a half hearted smile. "But... at least I'll have my own room now..."

Rogue laughed. "Way t'be optimistic."

"I'm a glass half full kinda girl." she shrugged, the sadness still written on her face in spite of her smile. "This is all my fault..." She looked down and shook her head.

"Kitty, none of this is your fault." Rogue frowned. "You weren't the one secretly married. Right?" Rogue narrowed her eyes and leaned towards her inquisitively when Kitty didn't answer right away. "...Right?!"

Kitty giggled. "Right."

"Good. So don't go blamin' yourself. This is just... somethin' ah wanna do."

"I can come with you... I mean, like if you need company or anything..."

Rogue laughed and shook her head imagining an indefinite road trip with her hyperactive friend. "That's nice of you to offer but... ah think ah'll pass."

Kitty smiled and moved towards the door. "Come on, I'll walk you out."

Rogue slipped the duffel bag onto her shoulder and followed Kitty out the door. The two girls walked in silence down to the lobby where a handful of people had gathered to see her off. Jean moved over to Rogue with a sad smile, giving her a tentative hug.

"I'm going to miss you Rogue. Make sure you call often. Okay?"

Rouge patted Jeans back and chuckled. "Ah will. Promise."

It seemed somewhat ironic to her that all she'd ever wanted to do when she was around Jean was leave, and now that they were actually friends, she really was leaving. She was actually going to miss little Miss perfect.

Scott was next, who stuck out his hand for her to shake. "Don't stay away too long."

Bobby draped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a wink. "So, you're single now... right?"

Kitty gave him a disgusted scoff, swatting him away as Rogue laughed and moved over to Kurt.

"I don't see vhy you have to leave."

Rogue shrugged. "It's just somethin' ah have t'do." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a hug. "But ah'll miss you Kurt."

She continued down the line, Storm next, and then Hank, of course Professor X again, Jubilee and Jamie, until she'd worked her way through everyone. She turned to Kitty and gave her friend another hug.

"Where are you headed?"

"The bus station." She shrugged. "Jean went down there with me the other day t'pick up mah ticket."

"She bought the cheapest one they had." Jean smiled. "Spare no expense, right?"

Rogue smiled and Kitty furrowed her brow. "What about your car?"

"Alright kid, let's make this quick." Logan grunted. The first words he's spoken to her in a week. He had been upset she was out so late, ready to lecture her on responsibility... to his surprise, he hadn't managed to get a word in edgewise. Not during the verbal whoopin' she'd dished out at him.

She stepped towards him and squared her jaw. "Ah didn't think you'd show up."

"C'mon..." He looked away awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. "I wasn't gunna just let you leave without sayin' goodbye."

"Alright." She chewed her lip and shrugged "Well... goodbye."

"I just..." He started looking back at her with a frown. "I just hope you ain't leavin' because of me. I was just tryin' t'look out for ya kid."

Her hard stare melted away into a sympathetic smile. "Ah know you were Logan... in your own twisted way. Ah'm not leavin' because of you."

"Good." He grunted before sticking his hand out towards her.

She rolled her eyes and dropped her bag on the ground. "Oh please. So formal." She stepped towards him and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Ah think ah deserve a hug at least."

He hugged her back silently for a moment, before letting out a breath. "I'm gunna miss you Stripes. Yer the only one around here with potential."

"Ah know." She muttered into his shoulder before pulling back. "What-ever will you do without me?"

With a deep breath, she gathered her bag and dug her car keys out of one of the side pockets. "Here." She handed them back to Logan and shrugged. "Take care of it for me till ah get back. An' for the love of God, don't let Bobby near it."

"Take care of it for you..." He scoffed and took the keys "The way I see it, it's still _my _car."

Rogue laughed.

"Do y'need a lift to the station?"

She shook her head as she moved towards the door. "Nah, ah'm just gunna walk. It ain't that far."

"Call if you need anything."

"Ah will."

"See ya kid."

Rogue smiled sadly and gave him a nod. "Bye."

She offered them all a final wave and stepped outside, closing the door behind her.

"Here we go." She mumbled to herself before padding down the stairs and walking the long drive down to the gates.

That had been harder than she'd anticipated. Saying goodbye to her friends like that. To her family. She hadn't even wanted anyone to be there, but Jean had insisted on it. And there was no arguing with Jean Grey. Like when she'd insisted on coming along with her when she bought her bus ticket, there was just no arguing with the girl. Rogue had to admit, she liked that in Jean. Strong willed. It made her seem less... dependant on her man. Scott. Rogue rolled her eyes at the thought of calling him a man and giggled to herself.

And now she was alone. A wave of excitement swelled up in her and she smiled at the concept. Was it terribly twisted that she was actually excited at the thought of leaving everyone behind? She grinned and picked up her pace, shoving her hands in her pockets as she walked. No, it wasn't twisted, it was her. She'd always found solace in her isolation.

Rogue shoved her hands in her pockets as she walked, kicking a stone along the sidewalk towards her destination. She gave the stone one final kick, sending it skittering across the road, coming to a rest against the curb. Her eyes lifted to glance at her watch and she shot out a breath, realizing that in her excitement to leave, she was now a good half hour early. She followed the stone she'd kicked, heading towards the coffee shoppe across the street.

She pushed through the door, a pleasant little jingle announcing her presence to the person behind the counter who grinned in response. She ordered a small hot cocoa and brought it over to a booth near the back by a window, sliding in and dropping her bags on the bench across from her. She played with the napkin dispenser idly as her mind wandered, drifting back to Kitty.

Kitty loved this place. They used to sneak out sometimes in the winter and get hot drinks. Rogue's lower lip stuck out as she recalled Kitty asking her where she was headed. She hadn't wanted to lie to anyone, but she knew there was no way getting around it. She'd managed to go all week without a single lie, avoiding everyone's questions and giving them quick, short answers that never really answered anything at all. She was sure Kitty would have understood.

She dipped her spoon into the hot chocolate, stirring the liquid to let some of the steam out as she stared at the mug blankly with the hint of a frown.

Her only regret was that she wouldn't be there to see the look on Logan's face when he figured it out.

"Dis seat taken?"

Her eyes shot up to look at him in surprise as he slipped into the booth next to her, not bothering to wait for an answer.

"Actually, it is." She looked back at her mug as she twirled the spoon inside. "Ah'm waitin' for mah married boyfriend t'show up." A smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth as she watched the swirling hot cocoa.

He hummed and rested his arm along the back of the booth "Dat's pretty scandalous... jolie fille like you shouldn' be mixed up in dat."

She shrugged and looked up at him. "What can ah say, ah love the thrill."

"Well..." he scratched his chin with his free hand and shook his head. "I can't compete with dat. I jus' got a divorce... dat ain't as thrillin'."

Her grin widened and she looked back at her mug. He leaned in close, his lips hovering by her ear. "But I bet I can thrill you in other ways..."

She laughed and leaned away from him to look him in the eye.

"You're early."

He sat back in the seat and kicked his feet up on the booth across from him with a wide smile. "I missed you."

"Ah missed you too."

"So, y'tell everyone yo'headin' off alone?"

She nodded, remembering the plan they'd come up with after she turned her car around and gone back to him that night. There was no way she could leave him. He was part of her. And if she was going to figure out who she was, she wanted him by her side every step of the way.

"Yep."

"How long before dey figure out you ain't alone?"

"Ah figure about a week or so." she grinned. "Are y'ready t'go?"

He reached over and picked up her mug, bringing it to his lips with a wink. "Relax Roguey, we got nothin' but time now."

---

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up Jean." Kitty folded her hands on her lap, enjoying the feel of the wind whipping through her hair from the passenger seat of Scott's beloved convertible.

"No problem." Jean grinned "I'm glad to do it."

Kitty smiled and heaved a sigh as Jean maneuvered the car down the street. Even though she was with the redheaded perfectionist, she welcomed the opportunity to distract herself from Rogue's departure.

The car slowed to a crawl as they neared their destination and Jean furrowed her brow, squinting in the sunlight.

"Why did you want to come here again?"

"It's Rogue's favorite place." Kitty explained. "We used to get hot cocoa here all the time."

Jean's eyebrows perked up and the car stopped slowly. "Take a look at that."

"Huh, it looks like Gambit's bike."

Jean sat with a silent grin on her face as Kitty's eyes wandered to the side of the building. "What are you doing? Aren't you gunna like, park?" Something inside the far window caught her eye and caused her jaw to drop.

Jean's smile grew and she shook her head. "Maybe we should find somewhere else."

Kitty looked over at Jean, putting a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle and nodded, turning to look into the sunlight before them.

"Yeah, I think you're right."

Epilogue.

_One week later._

He'd promised to take care of the car for her in her absence, and he was doing just that. Taking it out for a drive to see if there was anything wrong with it.

It was his excuse anyways. And in the process, he'd learned that it had a minor alignment issue and was pulling to the right slightly. At least he'd have something to tell little red when she accused him of joy riding in Rogue's car.

As if he even needed an excuse, he wasn't lying when he told Rogue that technically it was still his car. _He _was the one that bought it and gave it to her as a gift.

As he pulled the car back onto the institute grounds and slowed to a stop, he glanced around the car, impressed with how well she kept it maintained. For a chick. Usually they had lipstick and lip gloss and other female unmentionables rolling around the floors, but there was nothing. Not a crumb, not a speck of dirt, no balled up tissues or CD cases wandering about. He furrowed his brow at the sight of the long slender piece of paper sticking out from under the drivers seat.

So she wasn't perfect after all. He snatched the trash, his frown deepening when he realized what it was.

Rogue's bus ticket? One glance at the date confirmed it.

Maybe she got there, realized she forgot it, and just bought another one.

He scratched his chin and shook his head. No, she had plenty of time to call and get someone to bring it down for her. And they'd have no trouble finding it in her clean car. Also, Rogue wasn't one for squandering money like that. She knew the value of a buck.

He sat there, staring at the ticket, silently contemplating the perplexing situation before him until it slowly began to dawn on him.

She'd just given him a nice big dose of his own medicine. Just as she'd promised.

He chuckled in spite of himself. He had to hand it to her... the girl had guts. He climbed out of _his _car as he began to think of all the things he wanted to say to that damn Cajun when Rogue called up...

**Le Fin**

* * *

**_A/N: Ahhhh, you have no idea how sad I am to see this story end. sigh. Oh well... it ended on a high note, which NOBODY EXPECTED. (okay, I'm sure most of you expected it... nobody likes a sad ending Romy.) I hope you all enjoyed this final chapter of Nevermind the Darkness... (Oh, and in the last chapter, the two lines from the song were "we still can find a way." and "nothing lasts forever." I thought it too cliched to put "even cold November rain." in there. LOL!!!) I'm so proud of myself for getting it finished before I go away for a month! How sucky would that have been, right? I mean, I'll still have a computer, just not as much time to invest in THIS. So excuse me while I pat myself on the back. :)_**

**_Thank you all so much for the reviews and kind words of encouragement you've given me through this entire 4ish month process. (4ish sounds like whoreish. LOL) I've had so much fun writing this story, and I'm so glad that you all enjoyed it. (Or at least, up until the last chapter. I'm being a bit presumptuous, assuming you'll enjoy this one too.)_**

**_Keep an eye out for my next project (name tentatively "the hand") which is currently in the rough draft stage of developent (which means I daydream it up and scribble some crap down in a notebook that I hide from my husband. It just sounds more professional the other way. LOL) And I'm still pumping out "Beautiful Mind" which I'm enjoying sooo much._**

**_Anyways, I guess that's all there is to say!_**

**_Thanks for reading!_**

**_~KC_**


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